Pig Business Update: Expansions & acquisitions
The pig industry is always in motion. Recently many companies in the agribusiness changed owner, expanded or grew their markets. This overview summarises some recent developments in the livestock equipment and genetics sectors. Health and nutrition are to follow in later overviews.
Munters acquires MTech systems
Swedish Munters Group has strengthened its position within climate control solutions for the food production industry by acquiring Atlanta, GA, USA-based MTech Systems, combining data analytics expertise with modern software technology.
The acquisition of MTech will transform Munters’ portfolio through the use of advanced data analytics. By combining the expertise and solutions of the 2 companies, Munters is able to provide full control of the supply chain for poultry and swine production. For over 30 years, MTech has been improving data management and planning in the production and processing industry through innovative software. Combining environmental controls with better data-collection and analytics will provide new and improved opportunities to maximise the value chain for integrators, distributors and farmers around the world.
Big Dutchman opens new location in Malaysia
German-based livestock equipment company Big Dutchman (BD), opened a new regional head office with logistics centre for the Asia-Pacific region in Malaysia. The company invested nearly €25 million in the project.
Bernd Meerpohl, the company’s CEO, opened the new regional head office in March 2017. The location has 26,000 m2 of storage and office space. Built just 9 years after the previous location, the new centre is 5 times larger than its predecessor. Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur is 30 km away. Located near the large Port Klang container port, the head office and logistics centre fits well into the environment and infrastructure. There is also sufficient room for additional growth.
Big Dutchman acquires Betco Asia
More news on Big Dutchman, as the company also acquired Qingdao Betco Asia (Betco Qingdao), the livestock building business of the North Carolina-based steel structure specialist Betco. With about 60 employees globally, Betco Qingdao is one of the leading suppliers of steel structure livestock buildings for pig and poultry management worldwide, in particular in the Asia-Pacific region.
Betco Qingdao was founded as the Asian branch of Betco in Jiaozhou, China, in 2011 to develop, design, and install livestock buildings for the Asian market.
Due to its fast growth and the establishment of production plants in China, Betco Qingdao now sells livestock buildings worldwide.
Genus acquires Hermitage genetic assets
Genus, a global animal genetics company, and Hermitage, a long-established pig breeding company headquartered in Ireland, will enter into a strategic partnership covering the supply of porcine genetics in several markets.
PIC, Genus’s porcine division, will acquire the genetic rights and intellectual property of Hermitage. Hermitage will also become a strategic supply chain and distribution partner for PIC. In addition, PIC will acquire certain Hermitage customer relationships in various geographies including Russia, the US and several European countries.
Huanshan Group chooses Topigs Norsvin
Huanshan Group in China has chosen to use Topigs Norsvin genetics to populate its new nucleus farm. This new farm with 2,500 sows is built based on the latest insights; it will be air filtered to protect the high health status of the animals and will be the nucleus for Huanshan’s expanding pork production activities.
Huanshan Group has selected Topigs Norsvin genetics (TN70 sows and Duroc boars) for its good production performance, easy to manage sows, good weanability and offspring with better meat and carcass quality. Improving the total feed efficiency of the production and, in particular, the efficiency of the finishers were also important reasons for choosing Topigs Norsvin as a partner.
New boar stud for Hypor Genetics in Mexico
Hypor, Nutriservicios Pecuarios and Sonora Agropecuria (SASA) will exclusively supply Hypor genetics from a new boar stud in Sonora, Mexico starting from this year. Sonora is the second largest pork producing state in Mexico and the one that historically has been more focused in the Japanese market. Due to health restrictions, it is difficult to bring genetics from other parts of Mexico into Sonora. The new boar stud meets the demand from pork producers inside the state that want to use Hypor’s genetics in their operations.
The new boar stud, owned by SASA and Nutriservicios Pecuarios, will house around 150 Hypor Magnus boars and about 50 dam lines and Hypor Maxter boars. Hypor boars will be imported from Hypor high health nucleus facilities in Canada at the beginning of 2017. This new facility will have the capability to supply genetics for at least 35,000 sows with the potential to double in the future.
Choice Genetics and Ra-Se Genetics work together
Choice Genetics and Ra-Se Genetics have agreed to enter into close cooperation. Under the cooperation agreement, Ra-Se in Belgium and Hungary will become exclusive distributors on the Belgian, Dutch and Hungarian markets for Choice Genetics breeding stock. Choice Genetics will have exclusive rights to sell Ra-Se Genetics’ products worldwide except in the UK, Ireland, Germany and the Benelux.
Thanks to this alliance, both companies will be able to offer a wider range of maternal and paternal breeding stock to their respective customers.
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