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News
01 Aug 2003
Livestock Improvement is one of four New Zealand companies to win a prestigious Business Excellence Award. The company’s commitment to continuous improvement in all it does saw it win a Bronze Commendation Award making it three times better than the average company.
This, according to Chief Executive Officer Stuart Gordon, is because “in this business there are no sacred cows.
“Our competitiveness isn’t limited to the marketplace (Livestock Improvement is a global company with offices or representation in most dairying countries in the world).
“We have a competitive culture that doesn’t allow room for complacency in anything we do. We are constantly challenging systems and processes to be sure they are the best they can be.
“It’s what our shareholders deserve – and expect.
Livestock Improvement became a user owned co-operative in March this year after being a subsidiary of the New Zealand Dairy Board. Today, the company’s 12,500 farmer clients are its shareholders.
Being a large a company which, until this year, was a monopoly in some areas of its business (like herd testing) could be seen to be an ideal haven for complacency.
“Not here,” Stuart Gordon says. “New Zealand dairy farmers are the best pastoral farmers in the world, and we’ve had a large part to play in that success. We’ve always been world leaders in herd improvement and we want to be leaders in business excellence as well.”
Two years ago the company entered the Business Excellence Awards programme for the first time – winning a Progress Award.
“We were the first New Zealand agricultural company to win an Award then and we’ve just gone one better.
The Business Excellence Commendation Award recognised that Livestock Improvement’s key business strengths are its leadership, future focus, linkage of performance measures, innovation, product planning and development, organisational support for employees, and communication with customers and employees.
“These days shareholders expect evidence of excellence in their companies. The Business Excellence Awards process judges us against an internationally recognised best practice model for business – comparing us with the best companies in the world.
“This Award is an acknowledgement of our staff, it’s their Award – and reward for the commitment, talent, innovation and passion they bring to this company and which generates so much value for our shareholders, our clients and the international dairy industry.”
Stuart Gordon said the company is now aiming to win a Silver Business Excellence Award in 2005.
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