Potato Review

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE How has your own career outlook changed over the years? I am beginning to sound like a stuck record, but I think the main way my outlook has changed over the years is the way I see and value teamwork and relationships. When I rst started at Haith, I was primarily concerned about how I would develop and become successful. How could I be promoted? Could I sell more machines? Now, I am aware that businesses are not just about one person. ey are about teamwork. Teamwork is not just an internal facet of Haith. I like to think we have established a team-like relationship with our customers, many of who have been loyal to Haith for a very long time. What challenges is the industry facing at the moment, and what more could be done to meet and overcome these? We’re living in some really challenging times. e last few years have been unlike anything else I’ve experienced. e shortage of labour caused by Brexit and how the economy is bouncing back from the easing of lockdown is putting real pressure on businesses. I think all manufacturing businesses, not just food producers, are trying to nd ways of maintaining or increasing outputs by automating as much as possible. It’s the only option when people aren’t available to do the job. ere are also rising prices. It’s not just electricity and gas, fertiliser prices, fuel costs, raw materials such as steel – they’re 56 POTATO REVIEW MARCH/APRIL 2023 all going up and rising steeply and quickly. Do manufacturers absorb these increases? And if so, for how long? As a business that prides itself on innovation, we saw this problem coming down the line, if you’ll pardon the pun. We developed our Pro-Line at the beginning of the pandemic. It’s a modular approach to designing and installing washing, grading and packing lines. It uses fewer machines than traditional lines and delivers more from less. Less water use, less electricity and less downtime. It gives people more by implementing the latest technology, including optical sorting, robotics and water recycling. I also think there is a lack of younger people entering the industry through apprenticeships. ere is a real need to promote engineering and food production to schoolchildren to get them interested in the sectors and see the career paths they can follow. • Duane (35) joined Haith Group in 2004 as an apprentice working on the shop oor. • Having moved into sales in 2007 he became Sales Director in 2011. • He became MD in 2021. • He has overseen the company’s growth from a turnover of £6 million to well over £20 million. • Haith was founded in 1944 by George Haith, who carried out repairs for local farmers. During one repair, he realised that a mechanised way of washing and grading root vegetables would be incredibly helpful. So, he set about developing a solution. • Today, Haith provides vegetable packing, potato processing, materials handling solutions and water recycling solutions. • Based in Doncaster, the company has won two Queen’s Awards. What tips do you have for the future generation? If you don’t ask, you don’t get! No one is going to give you something by chance. So don’t be afraid to ask. Be proactive - visit trade shows and open days. Speak to business owners and managers. I know doing so will take courage and bravery if you’re young, but it will make you stand out. And, if you are given an opportunity, embrace it and work hard. Only by putting in the extra e ort will you stand out from your peers. e world is a small place! Always be polite and professional. You never know when you might see someone again and what they’ll be doing at that point. ey could be your next potential customer or employer! Duane (centre) with Haith’s Chairman and former MD Duane Hill (left) and Engineering Director David Haith during receipt of the company’s second Queen’s Award for Enterprise last autumn.