Outgoing IRSG chief Smit plans to become consultant

ERJ staff report (TB)

New York-When Hidde Smit ends his five-year term Dec. 31 as secretary-general of the International Rubber Study Group, don't expect him to slip quietly into retirement.

Even though he will be 65, the tall, lanky native of the Netherlands plans to keep right on doing what he's been doing-performing analytical studies, forecasts and offering training and seminars to companies interested in the world's rubber markets.

This time, he will do it as a consultant, rather than leading one of the world's foremost authorities and providers of statistical information and analysis for the natural rubber and synthetic rubber markets, including production, consumption, trade and rubber products.

Already many people in the industry have approached him saying, “Hey, let me know where you are when you retire,” he said. “So I will definitely do that.”

While attending the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers Annual General Meeting in New York in May, Smit talked about his years with the IRSG and his plans for the future.

“I don't like to sit back,” he said. “Maybe I can be of service to parts of the industry, giving analytical studies or even doing company courses or training, or seminars, analytical reports, whatever, combining my previous teaching capabilities. It will be interesting.”

Founded in 1944, the IRSG is an intergovernmental organization with a mission of bringing together the world's rubber producing countries and consuming stakeholders. The organization consists of 16 member countries and the European Community. It also has more than 100 companies and organizations involved in the rubber industry as members of its Panel of Associates.

An economist by training and a former university research professor, Smit's involvement with the rubber industry dates back to the late 1970s, and he was a longtime member of the committee of expert rubber statisticians. He later joined the IRSG's industry advisory panel and became panel chairman in 2003.

All of this served as a backdrop to his applying for the secretary-general's post, the IRSG's top executive position.

Asked about his accomplishments while at the IRSG's helm, Smit singled out four.

He said when he became secretary-general the IRSG had no formal forecasting capability.

“There were some, I'd say, guesses as to where the economy would go in terms of statistics,” he said. But “no formal mathematically structured set of forecasts. So, having done all this forecasting at the university before, with the restructuring of the institute where I used to work, I could bring the forecasting model to the IRSG.”

Now the IRSG has a full set of equations running for economic development, new and used vehicles sales, vehicle production, tyre sales and tyre production, as well as for consumption of natural and synthetic rubber.

For economic development, the organisation uses International Monetary Fund data and forecasts, he noted.

Smit attributes the improvement in forecasting as a main reason why membership in the Panel of Associates has grown from just over 60 to more than 100 during his tenure.

He is equally proud of the smooth relocation of the IRSG's offices to Singapore from Wembley, England, that he oversaw in 2008. That move to an area closer to the centre of the rubber industry resulted in the turnover of nearly the entire staff of seven employees, which includes three economists, of which Smit is one.

While this transition put a strain on the organisation, “the feedback I get from the industry is it was not hardly noticeable that we moved and had an all new staff,” he said.

Smit also saw more government interest in the IRSG under his watch.

In 2006, India and Nigeria rejoined the IRSG. And earlier this year, Indonesia decided it would again become a member, although that action still has not officially taken place. In addition, Vietnam has indicated its intention to rejoin, along with China, which is seriously considering doing so.

These additions, should they happen, will bring the number of member countries to about 20, which will grow even larger when the European Union joins as a full member, presumably in 2010.

If all goes as planned and the membership continues to expand, the quality of the data and forecasting should improve, according to Smit. “The global coverage of the IRSG is expected to be a lot better than when I started off,” he said.

Finally, Smit cited the cooperation the IRSG has forged with the IISRP and the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries.

Working together has provided better quality of information and a more consistent line of forecasting, he said. Plus it resolved the problem of the organizations coming up with different data than the IRSG, which could confuse the organisation's stakeholders.

Asked why the cooperation wasn't there previously, he replied, “I guess nobody pursued it.”

With his pending retirement from the IRSG, Smit and his wife, Hanneke van Wouwe, will move from Singapore back to Holland.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)