August 22, 2007

Netherlands' feed company De Heus looking forward to expansion

Privately owned feed manufacturer De Heus, based in The Netherlands, is taking over the family business of O. Bouman in the same country.

De Heus is the largest feed manufacturer in the Netherlands. With annual production volume of 1.8 million tonnes it accounts for a 15-percent share of the local market.

De Heus' production is not totally based in the country however - 8 of its 19 feed plants are based outside The Netherlands.

Managing director Co de Heus said told Dutch national farmers weekly Boerderij that most companies adopt the same strategies but it is the execution of the strategy that determines how successful it is. The secret to De Heus' growth is that it does the execution part better than its competitors, Co de Heus said.

De Heus began growing through a number of acquisition going back to ten years ago and this year it has executed two other acquisitions- Van Eck Veevoeders and Bouman

The company also has a strong presence in Poland and Czech Republic (SKS) and sells its feed in Russia through a distributor. 

Besides these countries, the company has also extended its reach to Poland, Egypt and China. It is now exploring opportunities in South Africa.