On the 2nd day of Christmas Genus ABS sent to me: 2 x Production!
If you trace back most of the genetics produced by Genus ABS that travel across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia you will find yourself in a small town in North Wales, Ruthin. This is the home of Genus ABS’ main bull stud outside of the US. A little-known fact about this bull stud is that it was built there because of the border of hills which surround it on all sides. These hills meant fewer livestock enterprises bordering each other, meaning reduced risk of disease spread, acting as a natural biosecurity fence for the stud below. Within my first few months meeting new colleagues from Ruthin, it was clear they are proud that their small town has such a large effect on international cattle production. Likewise, it is fantastic for Genus ABS that we can be a part of such a strong, local farming community. Like everywhere else, the last few months have been strange for staff at the bull stud. They have been balancing the pressures of Covid-19 whilst maintaining genetic supply for the entire business region. In some cases, they have even been raising production levels to meet increased orders from abroad. When a regular order of 4000 units of Sexcel® was doubled to 8000, the team had to think outside the box to meet it.
So, what is the key to scaling up production in a pandemic? Our great people! In order to protect our team at Ruthin, both the lab staff and stock workers have split into workplace “bubbles”, even social distancing within their groups. The teams have been splitting entry and exit times in the cloakrooms into 5 minute intervals. Timetables have been adjusted so that people from different areas of the building remain isolated. On top of this, to meet the orders coming in, staff have increased shift hours so that the stud is now producing Sexcel® units 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
In the midst of the pandemic, this increased capability was threatened when an entire shift bubble had to go into self-isolation. The other teams immediately stepped in to meet this huge demand, increasing their work hours to allow Genus ABS to maintain its reputation as a trusted and reliable supply partner. When researching how to ensure this article engaged readers, some advice mentioned highlighting one member of staff to put a face to the article. In this case, however, I think we need to celebrate everyone! The fantastic production, sales and service departments have all had one thing in common these past months. They have been working fantastically well together to not only cope in the current restrictions but also to help Genus ABS progress in the market.
To everyone in the Genus ABS team working so well under so much pressure, thank you and Merry Christmas.
Written by George Peart, Graduate Management trainee