"I know where our customers' shoe pinches!"
Interview with Eduard Eissing, Managing Director of TOPIGS-SNW GmbH
Similar to horse breeding, good genetic predispositions are also important in pigs, so that positive traits can be passed on to the next generation. As the German subsidiary of the Dutch-Norwegian company Topigs Norsvin international, founded by farmers for farmers, TOPIGS-SNW GmbH based in Senden in Münsterland has made it its mission to provide pig breeders with maximum added value on a daily basis.
"Although we belong to a globally operating company, our products are tailored to the needs of the region," assures Eduard Eissing, Managing Director of TOPIGS-SNW GmbH. "I know where our customers' shoe pinches."
The world-leading company in the industry has five main focuses: genetics and genomics, reproduction, robustness and animal welfare, feed and feed efficiency, as well as meat and carcass quality. "We distribute our genetics in various ways to customers in the German pig industry," explains Managing Director Eduard Eissing. "Thus, we deliver young sows from our breeding operations to piglet producers, annually between 70,000 and 75,000 animals in Germany. In larger operations or in operations that meet the necessary requirements, no animals are transported anymore, but rather the semen of our boars. This semen is delivered to breeders through insemination stations, who then produce their own sows. This method is more cost-effective and also reduces risk, because in this way no pathogens are introduced either. Here, we have contracts with the insemination stations to produce semen with our boars."
Customers are also Shareholders
Topigs International holds 50% of Topigs SNW GmbH. Topigs SNW GmbH is owned by the independent companies Schweineerzeuger Nordwest (SNW) and Topigs Deutschland, each also holding 50%.
A distinctive feature of TOPIGS is its shareholder structure. "Both the shareholders of SNW and the shareholders of the Dutch parent company are farmers," says Eduard Eissing. "Thus, our customers are also directly shareholders in the form of cooperative shares."
Topigs SNW GmbH has 47 employees, while the parent company employs 720 worldwide. The revenue generated by TOPIGS-SNW in 2022 was 36 million EUR. This revenue will be significantly exceeded this current year. The prices for piglets have risen sharply. This naturally has a positive effect on the sales of young sows.
Well connected
While TOPIGS-SNW mainly focuses on the German market, the parent company serves 55 countries worldwide. However, TOPIGS-SNW also delivers young sows to various countries outside of Germany, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Hungary, and Poland. As pig genetics is a very advisory-intensive business, sales play a significant role. In Germany, twelve employees are in direct contact with customers. They are supported by a ten-member Technical Service Team.
If there are very specific questions to be answered, further access to the know-how of the entire TOPIGS Group is available. "We also maintain a very intensive network and are connected with all relevant actors in the scene," explains the managing director. "This includes veterinarians and feed manufacturers among others. All parties involved are included to always find the best possible solution." The 'Corporate Identity' is globally controlled by the parent company. Additionally, there are regional activities such as country-specific brochures, reports on customer operations, and press articles about innovations and new trends.
Digital at the Highest Level
TOPIGS-SNW is highly digitalized in many parts. This includes the digital recording of all internal data such as customer visits. Added to this is a health database for the animals and the recording of all sperm deliveries. "TOPIGS spends more than 30 million EUR annually on research and development," Eduard Eissing points out. "With around-the-clock camera technology, we can identify and observe each individual animal. Using artificial intelligence, we can thus assess performance characteristics and social behavior."
Overall, TOPIGS has stored the characteristics of 52.5 million pigs in its database. Each year, around 750,000 piglets are weighed at birth. Today, data can even be collected from live animals using CT scans, which was previously only possible after slaughter. Sustainability goes hand in hand with digitalization. As a result, more high-quality meat is produced with less feed and the loss rate among piglets has significantly decreased.
With new products like the Spanish Iberduroc pig, TOPIGS-SNW is clearly focusing on quality over quantity, 'Pork should become sexy again,' proclaims the managing director. 'We also see ourselves in the coming years as a provider of sustainably produced pigs involving the consumer and want to establish even more supply chains.'