"THINGS HAVE BEEN NUTS" | Dolphin Bay Chemicals

“Things really have been nuts this year,” observed our Chief Financial Officer Marlize Jacobs.

Several hurdles and problems occurred, sometimes all at once. “The reality is, everyone has had a hard time, as we’ve seen by talking to people in other businesses and in our everyday lives. Just as we thought we had come through one challenge, the next one awaited. It was very draining, physically and emotionally.

“At Dolphin Bay, we had price increases, late payments of incoming funds, and shipping delays, to name just a few issues, yet we made it through.”

Forecasting is not enough anymore, Marlize observes. We had to become more visionary by imagining our ideal future then back-casting to find a pathway towards it, based on the current reality. “Only by planning from a future perspective, can we see the full picture.”

Difficulties are better managed with the support of the whole team. However, in the heat of the moment, emotions can quickly get the better of us. “In difficult times, we learnt to practice keeping our feelings at bay, so that we can approach obstacles with a calm mind.

“We had to become more visionary by imagining our ideal future then back-casting to find a pathway towards it, based on the current reality.”

“As a team, we realised that we needed to take a step back from our normal way of thinking, whether at home or in the business.

“We affirmed the value of always offering support, even by something as simple as making someone a cup of tea.”

In the light of the high and low points our country experienced this year, the team has learnt the value of absorbing new information, seeing the opportunities available and making use of our expertise, combined with intuition, to equip ourselves to stay relevant.

Dolphin Bay continues to show tremendous support to our business partners, which is part of our ethos and makes our company different to others in the industry. It is one thing to talk about support and another entirely to provide it. We will build on our services next year and make further progress by capitalising on our strengths and improving where we have weaknesses.

“We will continue to streamline our processes and communication channels to reaffirm and increase trust.

“Looking back at the year and all the obstacles the company faced, it is inspiring how the team stuck together and is reassuring to know that we are geared to withstand times like these.”