Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor
David Phillips of National Meats, in Lydford, St. Ann - PHOTO BY ROGER ROBINSON
NOW IN his early 50s, David Phillips heads National Meats and Food Distributors Limited, the largest such company in the island. But the warehouse, which has well over 100 square feet of space, actually began with a small panel van in the mid-'80s. With no collateral, Mr. Phillips sold furniture and cars on commission to fund his operation.
But he had a vision and diligently toiled to the modern HCCAP-approved facility that now sits in the cool community of Lydford, St. Ann. And today, he operate a dry freezer with temperature constant at -10 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature controls are linked to the administration offices and, through a sophisticated system, will alert officials of the slightest changes. That guarantees the safety and freshness of meats, dairy products, seafood and fast food brands.
Future plans for his company include a new 50-square foot building to house dry goods, remaining 100 per cent compliant with customer orders and working towards assisting the surrounding community.
BE: How did you begin this company and what was it like introducing your business to the local hospitality market?
DP: I started very small by renting facilities - a panel van and I had one employee. I needed very little capital then, but I raised it by selling furniture and motor vehicles on commission. After a while, I was able to purchase the furniture for sale.
It was a bit hard getting the hospitality sector to buy from me because their total supply up to 1985 was imported and we are a conservative people and introducing something new leads to resistance.
BE: Why did you decide on this particular business?
DP: I saw it as an opportunity, and in those days local hotel chains were just developing. They were receptive to local products and I saw the opportunity to develop locally produced goods by being a supplier to local chains.
BE: Now many years later, you have moved from beef to supplying a wide range of other goods. What else do you carry?
DP: We supply the complete range of refrigerated products chilled and frozen, from beef to poultry to seafood to dairy products and vegetables. We have always put an emphasis to prioritise what is produced here and import to supplement the shortfall.
BE: What percentage of your supply do you get locally?
DP: Local production of beef and pork has been on the decline for some years. We started out processing over 200 cows a week and now we are down to under 100. We had so saturated the market with local beef that we started to export it to Trinidad. We were the first to export beef in 1987 and since then the production on local cattle has fallen to the point where we don't have enough to supply the local market.
The production of whole birds is generally on target for the most of the year. There are only peak (holiday) periods when they cannot meet demands. Local production of pork has also declined significantly and we cannot meet the demand. But we import from any country that offers the best quality and price -most countries except in Africa and India.
BE: How timely are your deliveries? Do you receive them in time to meet demand?
DP: We have developed a reputation for product availability, we have a constant supply throughout the year and 100 per cent compliance with our customers. That is why we maintain high levels of inventory to guarantee that. We guarantee product quality, packaging quality and food safety. When we deliver to customers, we can guarantee shelf life; it will not spoil readily.
BE: You obviously run a multimillion-dollar operation but you have to be efficient to maximise profits. How do you cope with import duties?
DP: A lot of our products come from CARICOM (Caribbean Community) and duties are only the two per cent container cess but for products outside the region, the duties are extremely high and that results in high costs. A number of them are not available locally. However, you will suffer if you have inflated prices so you have to ensure that you get the best prices available on the international market and I buy from anywhere that I can get excellent quality at the best price.
BE: What is the biggest challenge with running a business such as this?
DP: That is training staff to know their responsibilities and perform at a high level as well as remain motivated. Also, a workforce that shares the goals and aspirations of the company. We operate two shifts in our warehouse, because the goods have to be kept at a certain temperature round the clock.
BE: How do you find staff in general and how many do you employ?
DP: We have an excellent staff of over 220; they are really conscious of providing our customers with excellent and high quality and reliable service.
BE: What has been the most difficult thing for you in doing business here in Jamaica?
DP: That would be to find qualified and quality staff. Also, trying to receive efficiencies in importation and in some of the bureaucratic processes that tend to take a long time. It is also very difficult to find affordable funding.
BE: You have grown with the business from scratch; is there anything that you would have done differently if you had the chance to turn back the clock and start all over again?
DP: No. From a high-level sense, I would not change anything; obviously one makes mistakes along the way but one learns from them. I think my approach to business would have been the same.
BE: Where do you see the company in the next 20 years?
DP: I see us expanding our product line to offer our customers the complete range of all categories of food items. We want to guarantee total customer satisfaction with product availability, compliance with customers' orders, guarantee consistency in the quality of product and packaging and at very competitive prices.
BE: How would you advise a young man going into business in Jamaica now? What three bits of advice would you give him?
DP: I would tell him to identify the critical control points of his business; the critical services he wants to provide and ensure that the critical systems are in place to monitor all functional areas and guarantee excellence in them.
BE: What for you over the years has been the most surprising thing in business?
DP: I did not expect to have
BE: The current crime situation is out of control; you operate within a situation that requires high levels of security, both for your personal safety and your company, goods, fleet of transportation and staff. These things eat into the bottom line. What else do you think we ought to be doing to cut down on the high levels of crime?
DP: I think that in recent times we made positive decisions in combating crime. The Minister of National Security's efforts to modernise the police force and tackle corruption within it are commendable. We need a force with integrity to tackle crime. His initiatives have also shown that criminals do not have a political face. Some of the ones recently apprehended had proved that.
There is also a recognition of the fact that to solve crime you need proper intelligence and efforts are being made to improve intelligence gathering and management of the force.
I think these actions will take time to bear fruit, but the crime situation has been growing over the years. For the first in a long time we are seeing action taken to reverse the trend. To help rid the country of criminals, the leadership needs to continue to provide outside expertise in gathering intelligence and rid the force of corruption.
BE: What is your wish for Jamaica?
DP: I wish that we will grow to respect each other, our social services will improve. I would love to see health and education get to First-World standards and all our roads properly fixed and maintained. I want Jamaica to have a very well-educated workforce, see greater job for all opportunities all and a very successful economy.
Send feedback to barbara.ellington@gleanerjm.com
