Business Partnering: Do you Need Assistance Sourcing Soybeans?
Business Partners is sometimes an overused term and used more freely than what really is the case. How do you distinguish between those relationships which are purely transactional and those that are truly Business Partners? My advice is this, look for those relationships that go beyond the normal needs or skills of that individual.
For example, do your customers provide you with input to help you become a better supplier, do they help you connect to other customers and do they advise you on trends you should be considering? As a customer, do your vendors try to understand your business, challenges you have and how they can help?
In our case, yes we are an equipment manufacturer, but our goal is to be a true Business Partner by assisting our customers with quality management, sourcing capital and provide advice on how best to source raw ingredients, potential customers for their end product and selling the end product.
A common challenge around the world where our equipment is positioned is the need for a consistent supply of soybeans, a lower cost supply of soybeans or a source that will not try to control them or the market. The other challenge when addressing the need for soybeans is the fact that our processors cannot handle large quantity of beans which might come directly from a bulk vessel. They need a cost effective containerized solution.
While we are not farmers or commodity traders, we do build relationships around the world in the agriculture industry. Through these relationships we have developed a strategic partner who is skilled in the global container shipment of GMO and non-GMO soybeans. They have loading facilities on each of the U.S. coasts able to effectively load containers and then have multiple freight partners to move those containers to our customers. Now, as a Business Partner to our customers we have an option to solve their challenge for a soybean source to augment the local availability of soybeans providing them with control to manage their costs and supply.
Also, we don’t need to limit it to soybeans as other oilseeds, corn and grains are also available. Plus, if you are a U.S. processor needing assistance in shipping to customers internationally, we can be a potential solution to take on the export complexity of shipping your product in containers to your end customers.
My hope is that you do view us as a Business Partner, surfacing your business challenges and where we can we will try to assist. If you have a need for soybeans or other commodities, or if you need assistance shipping from the U.S. to other parts of the world, please reach out to your Sales Representative to provide you with assistance in this area. We want to help and provide solutions to your challenges.
