As growers and retailers gear up for 2016, Syngenta is carefully  inspecting its delivery systems to make sure its products will be  available where and when customers need them.
 
“We analyze every step of the supply chain from point A to point Z  with all our products, so that we will have the right amount of  inventory on hand to meet growers’ needs,” said Stephanie Neese,  national bulk equipment specialist at Syngenta.
 
A significant reason why Syngenta can meet inventory crunches is  that so many of its corn and soybean crop protection products are  available in bulk. That’s important as more retailers consolidate, farms  expand and spraying equipment gets larger.
 
Syngenta also credits its success in this area with effective  communications throughout the supply chain, starting with growers and  retailers and extending to Syngenta sales representatives, distributors,  key account managers and a variety of other Syngenta specialists. A  part of this communications process is discussing and monitoring sales  and weather forecasts, which can help provide adequate in-season  delivery volumes across the country. In addition, Syngenta tracks the  capacity constraints of carriers, from trucks to trains, which can  significantly impact the time a delivery takes to reach its destination.
 
A recent success story involved Acuron® corn herbicide, the latest  weed management solution from Syngenta. It received regulatory approval  in April, just a few weeks before its application window ended.
 
“We knew the approval of Acuron would likely come right in the heart of battle for our customers,” said Neese.
 
Syngenta was able to deliver bulk supplies of the herbicide on time  to retailers, including Brandon Koch, a sales agronomist with All  Points Cooperative in Cozad, Nebraska. He took orders for about 500  gallons of Acuron within two hours of receiving news of state  registration. He then sold another 1,000 gallons the next week.
 
The process also proved itself when the demand for Halex® GT  herbicide ramped up this spring. The Syngenta bulk program enabled  growers to receive their supply of the product on demand and on time.
 
Looking ahead to 2016, Syngenta is ready to meet the challenges the  new season may bring. “We’re asking the ‘what if’ questions now so we  can work toward making sure our customers get their bulk deliveries when  they are going full-speed ahead next year,” Neese said. “We’re always  looking ahead to what’s next.”