23/08/12: Aunir moves house; Cargill Annual report; UK harvest photo

Hello,

• Aunir has announced its company expansion plans, which includes moving to bigger premises and recruiting Dr Trevor Theobald as its Commercial Director.

After 25 years of experience with a number of other Associated British Food companies – including, most recently, AB Agri – Trevor will join Aunir on September 1, 2012. Dr Trevor Theobald said: “I am delighted to be joining Aunir at such an exciting time in its history. It is a company that facilitates a great diversity of work, as NIR can be applied to so many different markets. As Commercial Director I hope to build on Aunir’s excellent reputation for delivering support and additional value to customers worldwide.”

Also in September, the leading developer and supplier of software for near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy will swap its current office for a 50% larger building in the same Pury Hill business park, near Alderton, Northamptonshire. With a dedicated technical area, Aunir’s new premises will allow the company to deal more effectively with the ever-increasing number of samples that it receives for NIR analysis. More space will also help Aunir increase the level of customer service it can offer.  More information...

• Cargill releases its 2012 Annual and Corporate Responsibility reports.  

The Annual report identifies five trends and ways the company is addressing them.  The five key factors are: shifting centres of economic activity; dynamic and interdependent markets; new tests to supply chains; consumers expect more from the food they eat; food security. More information...

• UK exports get off to flying start as Gleadell loads wheat barley, pulses and oilseed rape out six ports in the first half of August.

“We have got off to a flying start with our export campaign this season,” says Jonathan Lane, Gleadell’s Trading Manager. “We have already shipped wheat, barley, pulses and oilseed rape out of our Immingham and Great Yarmouth facilities as well as from Kings Lynn, Rye, Southampton and Avonmouth - and that is just in the first half of August.
“Our quick-off-the-mark oilseed rape exports have been particularly good news for farmer customers as they give an alternative to UK crushers as a harvest-time outlet. For example, in the last week alone, we have shipped rapeseed out of Immingham, Avonmouth and Great Yarmouth.

Gleadell's Great Yarmouth facility where Mv Furioso is loading 5,000 tonnes of oilseed rape from East Anglia farmers bound for Europe

07/08/12: retro Cargill ads; NIR; Moroccan wheat

Hello, 

• I love old advertising so I was really pleased when I came across this feature by Cargill.  This collection of Cargill's print advertising over nearly 100 years is a fascinating tale of the company's corporate identity.

• Philippine marketing team tours U.S. wheat industry.  Four milling and food industry marketing executives from the Philippines will visit North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Oregon August 5 to 17 to learn more about the U.S. wheat industry and discuss activities and programs that promote wheat consumption in the United States.  More information...  

• Putting NIR to the test at Livestock 2012.  Thanks to calibration specialist Aunir, attendees of this year’s Livestock event can benefit from free forage analysis using state-of-the-art technology, with test results available in minutes. Livestock visitors will be given the opportunity to submit a sample and receive automatic entry to an exclusive draw, with the chance to win two tickets to a live show and a hotel stay in London.  More information... 

• Moroccan wheat demand is to increase in 2012/13 due to a poor Moroccan growing season, according to the latest North Africa Grain Update from AHDB/HGCA.  The update featured in this month’s AHDB/HGCA Prospects publication says that while growing conditions have been generally favourable for cereal production in North Africa this year, Morocco suffered a serious drought, which means it could require an extra 1.5 mt of wheat imports over the coming season.  More information...

Wheat (Photo credit: Big Grey Mare ~ Go ahead. I'll catch up.)