Archer Daniels Midland 2006 Annual Report Download - page 15

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Archer Daniels Midland Company / 2006 Annual Report
ENHANCING CUSTOMERS’
GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
Productive partnerships with customers create oppor-
tunities to increase both product sales and long-term
relationships. From joint planning for new products to
capital investment decisions, customer focus yields
mutual benefit.
ADM has a long history of working with customers to
coordinate resources, manage commodity risk and assure
long-term supplies. The Company provides specific blends
of ingredients to many of its customers and leverages its
strong distribution expertise to manage customer delivery
and inventory requirements. Food, feed and industrial
companies rely on ADM to match deliveries with specific
production schedules developed weeks or months in
advance. In some cases, capital investments are influenced
by the service requirements of large, long-term clients.
Recently, demand for healthier foods has accelerated
joint product planning efforts. When costs of new
processing requirements or steep learning curves threaten
to stymie product development, ADM’s Aspire Food
Systems connects customers with both product expertise
and available manufacturing services. By removing obsta-
cles in the development stage, ADM can help customers
bring products to market faster and with lower risk. Along
the way, ADM identifies new applications for such ingre-
dients as isolated soy and wheat proteins, dietary fiber,
edible bean powders and low-trans-fat shortening.
Joint planning and management of processes lead to
stronger long-term relationships and more predictable
business patterns. Closer collaboration with customers
is an increasingly important component of ADM
growth strategies.
Brook Carson,
Product Applications
Technologist;
Adam Synoground,
Bakery Research
Scientist; and
Julie Ohmen, Aspire
Business Manager;
study ADM food
ingredients at the
Company’s Randall
Research Center in
Decatur, Illinois.