Thomas turns new page at PaperlinX

Gordon Thomas takes over as group general manager of PaperlinX while Brian Longmore steps back.

In yet another management reshuffle for the company, Thomas (pictured), who has been with PaperlinX for the last three years, moved up from the role of group national accounts manager to group general manager.

Keeping the company focussed will be the biggest priority, Thomas told Print21. “We’ve got a strong focus on customers and sales and in an extraordinarily competitive and volatile environment we want to get even more focussed,” he said.

Thomas is enough of a realist to admit that the future in Australia is “very uncertain.” “I wish we knew,” he said. “Our customers don’t know, either. The total demand for paper consumed in the sheetfed market is very hard to predict. We have to make sure we concentrate on having the right products at the right time, with the right proposition for our customers.”

2010 has been a year for change for PaperlinX, whose exit from paper manufacturing and falling volumes lead to $225.3 million loss this year. Two months ago, Tom Park announced that he was leaving as CEO, to be replaced by Toby Marchant, who continues to be based in the United Kingdom.

“There’s been a lot of change for PaperlinX worldwide, but in Australia and New Zealand we have been extremely stable as an organisation,” Thomas said.  “We’re looking to maintain a stable and reliable position.”

Paper industry veteran, Brian Longmore, has already embarked on the transition into retirement after 20 years in senior roles since joining Spicers Paper in 1990. “It is time to slow down,” he said. “I am not leaving the company – just not working five days a week anymore.”