Rolle, Switzerland — Archer Daniels Midland Co., Decatur, Ill., and Wilmar International Ltd., Singapore, said Oct. 18 that they have completed regulatory approvals for their partnerships in global fertilizer (GM Feb. 27, p. 8) and European vegetable oil. The two companies have also launched their partnership in global ocean freight. Through the three partnerships, which will be based in Rolle, Switzerland, ADM and Wilmar will collaborate on purchasing and distribution in the global fertilizer business, partner in the sale and marketing of vegetable oils and fats in Europe, and work together to improve the utilization and management of their oceangoing fleets, with each company initially contributing two ships to the effort. "Given our long association with ADM in Asia, we are confident of the efficiencies that these new global partnerships will bring to our businesses," said Kuok Khoon Hong, Wilmar’s Chairman and CEO. "These new partnerships will help strengthen our global marketing reach, while delivering a best-in-class service to our customers," said ADM Chairman and CEO Patricia Woertz. "We are confident that synergies with Wilmar will create a distinctive value." Collaborations between ADM and Wilmar began in the mid-1990s, when they jointly built a network of soybean processing operations in China. Today, ADM owns a 16 percent equity stake in Wilmar. The companies have significant supplier relationships with each other. ADM, with 30,000 employees around the world, converts oilseeds, corn, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial, and energy uses. Wilmar, with a multinational workforce of 90,000, is Asia’s leading agribusiness group. Business activities include oil palm cultivation, oilseeds crushing, edible oils refining, sugar milling and refining, specialty fats, oleochemicals, biodiesel and fertilizers manufacturing, and grains processing.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain