industry is at about a five to six per cent
annual growth in value, and Fly Ace has been
ahead of this for several years now,” he says.
Ramon attributes this success to the stronger
market positioning of the brands it has,
namely its flagship Jolly. Fly Ace introduced
Jolly as its first brand in 1997, launching a
canned product called Young Corn. “At the
time, the goal for Jolly was simple – provide
a quality vegetable and fruits brand at an
affordable price to Filipino consumers. This
continues to be a core goal of the brand to
this day,” Ramon says.
Since then, several other products
have been launched under the Jolly name,
including mushrooms, whole corn, creamed
corn, salted black beans, and green peas.
Ramon acknowledges the hard work
the staff puts in to keep the company at the
forefront of the FMCG industry. “Our
journey to be better has not been a walk in
the park,” he notes. “Change is never easy,
but Fly Ace is staffed with highly committed
and passionate colleagues. Once everyone
understood what we were trying to do,
we got down to focusing on the agreed
direction and on what our priorities were.
We have since started to see improvements
in some of our operations such as better
inventory management and working capital,
expanded distribution in the general trade,
and continued sales growth. I believe the
future holds more wins for us and we are
determined to seize them.”
Ramon knows what it takes to keep
his staff on the right track. “Discipline is
paramount – it is a foundation for consistent
excellence. I am known to be strict, precise,
detailed and demanding, but at the same time
understanding and flexible, as appropriate,” he
says. “I abide by a promise-based management
style – what one commits to do, one must
do. This truly is what being a person of
integrity means to me – it is not only about
being honest, which is important of course.
I try to influence people I connect with to
reflect on this. It’s all about taking full
ownership and accountability. I strive forHalf page advert
ARLA FOODS PHILIPPINES