SGS Agricultural Services
SGS Agricultural Services is one of the 10 Business Segments of the Geneva-based SGS Group which has more than 70,000 employees and operates more than 1,350 offices and laboratories around the world. SGS Agricultural Services provide a complete range of services to ensure safety throughout the value chain. To reduce risk, improve efficiency and ensure compliance to contractual or regulatory requirements the service include inspections, risk management, fumigation, contract research, market research, audit and sustainability, project verification, guarantee and analytical services. SGS work according to national and international standards and have numerous certifications and accreditations. Agricultural Services has a network of offices and 60 laboratories in more than 100 countries.
SGS History
SGS was founded in 1878 in Rouen France, seizing the opportunity at one of the country’s largest ports to begin inspection and testing of grain shipments. By 1913 the company had grown and was one of the leaders in grain inspection, inspecting more than 21 million tonnes of grain per year from a network of 45 offices across Europe.
During First World War the company moved its headquarters from Paris to Geneva, to continue international operations. In 1939 the company expanded into the inspection and analysis of raw materials, minerals and metals through the acquisition of laboratories in Europe. In addition, the company started operating in South America, with offices in Argentina and Brazil delivering Agricultural Services. In 1950, SGS started to diversify its business further and today it has a total 10 business segments operating across 10 geographical regions of the world.
SGS Group’s Agricultural Services Business Today
Market Segments
The 5 main segments served by the SGS Group’s Agricultural Services Business are as follows:
* Seed and Crop (solutions for life science companies, plant breeders, seed producers, fertilizer producers, distributors, growers, and consumers.)
* Trade Inspection (covering commodities like grains, feed, pulses, rice, oil, seeds, liquids, sugar, coffee, cocoa, tea, fibres, fresh produce and wood)
* Forestry (wood logs, sawn wood, poles, wood chips, pellets, sawdust, fibres, biomass, pulp paper, recovered paper, forest and plantations)
* Food (fruits, cereals, vegetable, dairy products, meat and sea food)
* Alternative Fuels (from raw materials to end products, from research to consumption, from design to operation)
Services
* Project Verification: Project management assistance, project management and monitoring
* Contract Research: Field trials, GLP residue studies, environmental fate studies, ecotoxicology studies, regulatory services.
* Inspection : Quality sampling, loading and discharge supervision, damage and draft survey, grading, warehouse inspection, stock verification.
* Audit & Sustainability: Farm audits, fair labour, ISCC, REDCert, Global GAP, forest plantation review and inventory.
* Market Research: Strategic data gathering and processing, quality maps.
* Analytical: soil/leaf, water, fertilizer, seed testing, mycotoxins, pesticide residues, microbial analysis, contaminants, GMO, amino acids, oil analysis, moisture and purity testing, energy testing, emissions detection, humidty and paper quality testing, chemical treatment detection, ethanol and bio diesel testing. All types of quality testing of commodities.
* Pest Control and Fumigation: Cargo, port and industry fumigation and disinfection, gas free measurement and pest management auditing
* Guarantee: Full Outturn Guarantee (FOG), Comprehensive Cover (CC), Full Outturn Quality (FOQ), rejection guarantee, seller’s interest /contingency insurance, quality risk protection, fumigation guarantee and piracy cover
* Risk Management: Collateral management and stock monitoring
Recent Acquisitions
* Agri-Food Laboratories, Ontario, Canada (2011)
* AG Research Associates, Georgia, USA (2011)
* NviroCrop Group, Potchefstrrom, South Africa (2011)
Financial Information
* Revenue*: 303.5 million CHF
* Operating income*: 45.9 million CHF
:*2011 results
SGS History
SGS was founded in 1878 in Rouen France, seizing the opportunity at one of the country’s largest ports to begin inspection and testing of grain shipments. By 1913 the company had grown and was one of the leaders in grain inspection, inspecting more than 21 million tonnes of grain per year from a network of 45 offices across Europe.
During First World War the company moved its headquarters from Paris to Geneva, to continue international operations. In 1939 the company expanded into the inspection and analysis of raw materials, minerals and metals through the acquisition of laboratories in Europe. In addition, the company started operating in South America, with offices in Argentina and Brazil delivering Agricultural Services. In 1950, SGS started to diversify its business further and today it has a total 10 business segments operating across 10 geographical regions of the world.
SGS Group’s Agricultural Services Business Today
Market Segments
The 5 main segments served by the SGS Group’s Agricultural Services Business are as follows:
* Seed and Crop (solutions for life science companies, plant breeders, seed producers, fertilizer producers, distributors, growers, and consumers.)
* Trade Inspection (covering commodities like grains, feed, pulses, rice, oil, seeds, liquids, sugar, coffee, cocoa, tea, fibres, fresh produce and wood)
* Forestry (wood logs, sawn wood, poles, wood chips, pellets, sawdust, fibres, biomass, pulp paper, recovered paper, forest and plantations)
* Food (fruits, cereals, vegetable, dairy products, meat and sea food)
* Alternative Fuels (from raw materials to end products, from research to consumption, from design to operation)
Services
* Project Verification: Project management assistance, project management and monitoring
* Contract Research: Field trials, GLP residue studies, environmental fate studies, ecotoxicology studies, regulatory services.
* Inspection : Quality sampling, loading and discharge supervision, damage and draft survey, grading, warehouse inspection, stock verification.
* Audit & Sustainability: Farm audits, fair labour, ISCC, REDCert, Global GAP, forest plantation review and inventory.
* Market Research: Strategic data gathering and processing, quality maps.
* Analytical: soil/leaf, water, fertilizer, seed testing, mycotoxins, pesticide residues, microbial analysis, contaminants, GMO, amino acids, oil analysis, moisture and purity testing, energy testing, emissions detection, humidty and paper quality testing, chemical treatment detection, ethanol and bio diesel testing. All types of quality testing of commodities.
* Pest Control and Fumigation: Cargo, port and industry fumigation and disinfection, gas free measurement and pest management auditing
* Guarantee: Full Outturn Guarantee (FOG), Comprehensive Cover (CC), Full Outturn Quality (FOQ), rejection guarantee, seller’s interest /contingency insurance, quality risk protection, fumigation guarantee and piracy cover
* Risk Management: Collateral management and stock monitoring
Recent Acquisitions
* Agri-Food Laboratories, Ontario, Canada (2011)
* AG Research Associates, Georgia, USA (2011)
* NviroCrop Group, Potchefstrrom, South Africa (2011)
Financial Information
* Revenue*: 303.5 million CHF
* Operating income*: 45.9 million CHF
:*2011 results
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