COMPANY FACTS
• Wayne Farms grew to the powerhouse it is today : the sixth largest fully integrated poultry company in the United States with seven feeds mills , seven processing plants , and US $ 2.2bn in sales
• They have reduced demurrage costs by over 60 % since 2012 . In 2012 , it was $ 1.6mn ; last year , it was just over $ 600,000 151 produced more than the three combined but became the largest poultry feed mill in America . A mutually beneficial decision , it is symptomatic of how experience can be valuable in understanding the future . “ The year after , CSX completely pulled its 65-car train program from the rotation ,” explains Smith . “ Other companies were left stranded , but we had already made the investment to upgrade , looking ahead at sustainability .”
Supply chain within the poultry industry provides a unique challenge : both cyclical and evolving . Crop prices , railway deals , weather conditions , barge costs ; these can vary year-toyear . This means the ability to monitor and foresee changes is key in staying on top of the supply chain . There are maintenance costs in the industry that are unavoidable . For these , such as demurrage on barges and trains , Smith says it is about reduction not
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