company needs to become more adept in this area, especially in new countries where the company does not yet have the recognition it enjoys in its more established markets. But having a reputation as a technically- sound company is, without doubt, much better than being considered as mainly marketing with limited science. In the UK and Ireland, in recent years the company has retained


fostering a close working relationship with customers around the world. There are subsidiary companies, which encompass an office and often warehousing, in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Poland, Romania, France, Turkey, Indonesia, China and Egypt amongst others. A new subsidiary is about to open in Brazil, the company having been in the South American market for two years. The North American situation is currently being researched to ensure the necessary resources are in place before a move is made into that huge and competitive market. Irrespective of the precise arrangements on the ground in the various regions throughout the world, all products originate from Lohne in Germany. This is an important point and one which Alexander is keen to emphasize. Quality assurance and traceability are more robust, he believes, when there is clarity about where every batch has originated. “Anchored locally, networked globally” is the description of this approach which has formed the backdrop to the company’s development. One thing which has become increasingly apparent to Alexander


over time is that new markets need new thinking. Whereas the company is well known and its attributes are recognised in Germany and in more established areas, this is not the case universally. “We have to adapt our ideas to suit local circumstances,” says Alexander. “If you try to do everything in the same way in all markets, you will fail. We are by no means a marketing-driven company,” he says, and accepts that the


the services of Jem Clay, previously Managing Director of Alltech UK Ltd before moving on to head up Blue Chip Feed Ltd, and now an independent consultant. Jem will be well known to many readers of this magazine and his knowledge and understanding of and contacts within the UK feed industry have been invaluable in facilitating discussions between Biochem and potential customers. More recently, the company has appointed Oliver Caiger-Smith as Technical Sales Manager for the UK and Ireland, to service and continue the growth in sales in the British Isles. There are no immediate plans to set up a subsidiary company here, while direct supply of products from Germany continues to be cost-effective, and there are already very good relations with existing clients. But nothing is ruled out. What the future will bring, how it will be impacted by Brexit, when further appointments will be required – only time will tell!


Biochem’s in-house manufacturing began in Germany in 2002,


initially producing probiotic products, taking highly concentrated Bacillus strains and using them to make a blend which could be incorporated into feed. With research and new ideas, new products were added and sales increased, until the scale of production required began to outstrip the capacity of the original plant. In 2015, the facility was completely renovated with two mixing lines and capacity in excess of 25,000 tonnes of concentrated additives. In addition to this facility for powder products, and also in 2015 a liquid production capability was added with two x 5,000 litre tanks, including a pharmaceutical-standard CIP cleaning system. The production facilities are absolutely state-of-the-art. Clean,


precise, efficient: Jem Clay was bowled over by the standard when he visited for the first time. “You could eat your dinner off the floor in here!” he is reported to have said! With a quality management system based on ISO 9001 and GMP+ which combines the internationally recognised Good Manufacturing Practices certification with HACCP, the standard of the buildings, equipment, storage, transport, processes and documentation is of the very highest order. From specially designed high


Left: The state-of-the-art powder production facility is clean, precise and efficient


FEED COMPOUNDER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 PAGE 37


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