Time Out With… Jean-Yves Bcle

1. The pace at which business is conducted seems to be accelerating every year. How do you manage your time in order to stay effective?

I always try to have a clear overview in order to manage priorities efficiently. Delegating is also a key factor in being effective. To do so, I have surrounded myself with a strong team of managers and directors of which I am very proud. This team makes it much easier to stay focused on the company’s development strategy.

2. So far, IPL has been a phenomenal success story. What’s your vision for the company five years from now?

Our long-term vision of the company is shaped by two main objectives. The first is to increase our revenues from value-added proprietary products. Over the years, we have established a strong R&D team of 40 engineers and technicians with a successful record of innovation. We have also invested substantially in registering and acquiring several valuable patents. We plan to maintain the sales breakdown between proprietary and non-proprietary products at 65% and 35% respectively.

Our second objective is to balance sales between Canada and the US. US sales represented 35% of total sales in our last quarter, up 27% over the previous year. This percentage will continue to increase as we continue to deploy our sales force south of the border and introduce new products tailored for the US market, especially in material handling and food packaging where IPL’s market share is still less than 5%.

3. What do you do to relax?

In Quebec City, we are fortunate to be surrounded by nature. Outdoor activities are numerous and first class. I make the most of it to relax and stay in shape. Raising kids under the age of five is also a lot of fun and helps me break out of the work routine.

4. Everyone says people are key to the success of their business. Is it getting tougher to hang on to good workers? What are you doing to keep them around?

Nowadays, young professionals are not only interested in earning a fair compensation; they want to make a difference to the company as well. Our business is evolving rapidly and, consequently, offers a lot of opportunities for motivated professionals with new ideas and initiatives. With 60% of sales coming from products introduced in only the past 48 months, IPL encourages new ideas and this is very rewarding to all of us. This culture of innovation and project initiatives is attracting and retaining very talented individuals.

We also encourage continuing education programs for our employees. For example, we have an agreement with the University of Sherbrooke that provides an MBA program to over a dozen employees at our workplace.

5. Other than Canadian Plastics, what sorts of magazines or newspapers do you regularly read?

I have a huge appetite for all printed and electronic sources of business information. In addition to major trade publications, I read Fortune, Investors Digest and other business publications.

6. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career?

Always plan a fallback position so that should your original plan not materialize, you are ready to deal with a worst case scenario. I have also learned the importance of controlling your destiny in your business.

7. Who’s had the biggest influence a) on your life? b) on your career?

In my life, of course, my parents have had a great influence on me. I am very grateful that they taught me the value of success in my own life, rather than success as measured by others.

In the early years of my career with an international OEM, I had a mentor who also strongly influenced my professional future.

8. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the prospects of the plastics industry in this country?

We are very optimistic about the plastics industry in Canada, and in the rest of the Western World. Since the early 60’s, plastic industry growth has outpaced the GDP by a 2:1 factor and we haven’t seen the end of that trend yet. Here in the Quebec City region and the South Shore, several plastic companies are growing and having a great deal of success internationally. Research and development and highly skilled workers are increasingly critical. This is something that was understood a decade ago by the provincial government, local colleges and Laval University.

The market is healthy; plastic continues to be the material of choice over cardboard, metal or glass in numerous packaging, material handling and industrial sector applications. Plastics will also increasingly show that it is indeed quite an environmentally friendly material in the years to come.

Furthermore, I believe that certain new technologies, especially nano molecules, will open vast new markets for plastics.

9. How did you get your start in the plastics industry?

Ten years ago, I decided to leave an executive position with Bombardier to go into this industry. I saw the growth potential this field showed. And I never looked back.