Case 11.2: Emsland Group - sustainability through ‘using nature to create’ - Germany
Name of the company: Emsland Group
Country: Germany
Size of the business: 1 200 employees
Website: https://www.emsland-group.de/
Background
The Emsland Group manufactures vegetable (potato, pea, etc.) based innovative products for the processing industry. The Emsland Group is not only Germany’s largest producer of potato starch, but also the market leader for flakes, granules and specialties. Since 1928, the solutions developed by the Emsland Group have been used worldwide in the processing industry. Since then, more than one hundred products were created and now used in the food sector, food retailing, in technical applications as well as for animal feed. When the German government changed the fertilizer legislation, the Emsland Group saw opportunity in the starch-based flocculants as a good alternative to synthetic polymers. The starch is renewable and ecologic friendly. The production facilities are situated in seven locations with each site having its own unique core competencies.
Main activities
The main activities are processing of potatoes and peas, and modifying the starches and proteins. Enterprise produces pea and potato starch derivatives, potato flakes and granules, pea and potato fibres and proteins. According to the company, they are the only ones in the world which are producing pure starch-based flocculants for waste water, liquid manure and digestate.
Market
The Emsland Group is one of the leading companies in creating innovative product solutions based on renewable raw materials, mainly from potatoes. The Emsland Group’s products are used in many industrial branches like food-, adhesives-, textile or paper industry. Products are distributed via agencies located worldwide. Different kind of marketing tools like online marketing, social media, exhibitions, trade shows, advertising activities are incorporated. Company exports 76% of its production, and its market includes 120 countries worldwide.
Challenges and solutions
The Emsland Group has plans to further grow in the future. Enterprise has invested a lot into modernization and new equipment as well as into new product developments in all kind of segments. The challenge lies in the full utilization of the existing equipment.
The biggest problems for the business development are legislation and its implementation; an adaptation of existing systems to the starch-based flocculants.
What makes this case innovative?
The case represents a strong processing and production innovation focused company exploring the opportunities to expand the use of selected agricultural produce for wider variety of applications within food industry as well as in other industries. The company is the only one in the world which is producing pure starch-based flocculants for wastewater, liquid manure and digestate.
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