Saiccor - The First 50 Years 5.8 MB - Sappi

The First Fifty Years
Saiccor’s management team at the time of the Sappi takeover in 1988 remained unchanged� BACK ROW, LEFT TO
RIGHT: Bryan Thomas, Trevor Larkan, Andrew Carr, John Hinck, Andy Porter� FRONT ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Jack
Ardé, Scotch Duncan-Anderson, Hector Mackenzie, Sinclair Stone and Chris Williamson
Eugene van As, Managing Director of Sappi, asserted: ‘Sappi have
acquired a successful business, and it is not their intention to ruin it
by unnecessary interference�’
Eugene has been true to his word� The only change to Saiccor staff
was the appointment of Roland Mazery as Managing Director
designate to replace Hector Mackenzie when he reached retirement
age on 1 June 1989�
Hector Mackenzie told Sappi News (September 1988): ‘We are
making so much money, we’ll be an embarrassment to Courtaulds
for having sold us� Saiccor is a tremendous investment�’
All Saiccor employees were fortunate in that all their conditions
of employment were restated on the basis that if a Saiccor condition
was better, they would keep it, if not they would change to the Sappi
condition�
The Saiccor management team at the time of the takeover was left
unchanged�
All staff positions were graded according to Peromnes, a Sappi
practice, and all grade 7 and above positions received company motor
cars� There were soon 30-odd new cars in the parking lot – and a
feeling of ‘justice at last’�
Sappi formally became the owners of Saiccor on 19 September 1988,
and Usutu on 20 September 1988� The last ‘old’ Saiccor Board meeting
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