The Manufacturer Magazine : Promoting best practice in Manufacturing

Syngenta, Feeding the world

Manufacturing in Action, Source : The Manufacturer
Zone : World class manufacturing
Published : May 2008

Syngenta is a leading global agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture. Andrew Westacott, operations manager at its world class Huddersfield Manufacturing Centre, talked to Jayne Flannery about what makes the place special

Global population growth, limited land availability, rising nutritional standards and quality expectations all mean that agricultural output must continuously improve to meet the needs of a hungry, but ever more discerning planet. Syngenta’s portfolio of crop protection products is designed to protect crops from attack by pests, weeds and diseases. The aim is not only to generate better yields and quality, but also to make efficient use of scarce resources including land, water and labour. The company’s mission is to support farmers across the world in optimising these resources to sustainably deliver the yields and quality that are needed to feed the world.

In the UK and Ireland, Syngenta operates out of 11 sites. These sites span crop and seed protection; research and technology; manufacturing and supply; sales and marketing; and beneficial insect research and production.

Andrew Westacott is operations manager at the Huddersfield plant, which has become an international benchmark of manufacturing excellence, both internally within Syngneta and for the agrichemical business at large.

The site manufactures five key crop protection products in the Syngenta range. Three are herbicides and two are synthetic pyrethroid insecticides.

One of these insecticides is lambda cyhalothrin, sold under the trade name of KARATE. This broad-spectrum insecticide is not just used for crops – it is also very effective against mosquitoes, and is recognised by the World Health Organisation in the fight against malaria, under the trade name ICON. “Everyone at the site is very proud of the human dimension of our work in furthering malaria control,” Westacott explained.

Syngenta has shifted from a product-led organisation to one with a much stronger marketing orientation, effectively re-positioning its products higher up the value chain. “We try to understand in far more depth exactly how we can best benefit our customers. I believe that by successfully seeking to understand what the farmer values, we have made innovations with the types of formulations that we offer, and also within the range of product mixes that can be used with the new products that are being launched. This approach adds value for the customer and also lengthens the life of the more established products,” he explained.

Westacott believes that the first step towards achieving manufacturing excellence at Huddersfield lay in understanding the challenge ahead and agreeing clear objectives with all personnel. It is then primarily about engaging people in that process and providing them with the tools to achieve true cross function team working at all levels of the organisation. “People need to understand and hear about the improvements they themselves are bringing about if the improvements are to continue.

Sustainability is vital as is periodic review and assessment to make sure that momentum is being maintained,” he stated. So far the results have been spectacular. Huddersfield has won two Chemical Industry Association (CIA) awards, and is held up as an example within Syngenta as a site which others should be benchmarking themselves against. “Syngenta has a vision to move from being a good company to becoming a great one. I firmly believe that the only way we can become a great company is if everyone working with us shares the same ideals. People underpin every improvement that we make,” he stated.

Meanwhile, he is delighted that the Huddersfield site is held up as an example of best practice within Syngenta. “It is very gratifying to be asked to share our learning and experiences with others across the globe and watch those sites progress as we are doing at Huddersfield,” he added.

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