Less than one year ago, Syngenta implemented a significant reorganization and renovation of its supply chain to maximize efficiency and expand capacity at key plants.  On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Syngenta hosted an Open House for employees, seed growers, community members and state officials to celebrate the completion of renovations at its Phillips, Nebraska, plant. 

“We are currently conditioning seed from our first harvest since renovations were completed last month,” said Bill Hunter, Phillips plant manager, Syngenta Seeds.  “The extensive renovations and new technology have increased our capacity and greatly reduced the time it takes to condition the seed.” 

The newly-renovated Syngenta seed corn plant in Phillips, Neb., features a robotic arm, which efficiently retrieves seed bags from the conveyor belt and stacks them on a pallet. The arm is part of a $4.7 million project that also increases seed conditioning capacity, improves seed quality and provides precision application of Syngenta seed treatments.  On Tuesday, Nov. 8, the arm stacked the first Garst Seed processed at the plant.

The Phillips plant is a state-of-the-art facility that supplies hybrids to Garst®, Golden Harvest® and NK® Brand customers, and it represents the largest single capital investment Syngenta has made in its North American seed supply chain operations.  The $4.7 million project increases seed conditioning capacity, improves seed quality and provides precision application of Syngenta seed treatments. 

The Phillips facility features a unique robotic seed bag handling system.  A first for Syngenta, the robotic system is controlled by software that allows stacking configurations to be created off-line then downloaded for precise bag placement.

According to Hunter, the investment in the facility was not only an investment in Syngenta, but also in the local and statewide economy.  “We have 26 full-time and many part-time employees that take great pride in their community and producing quality product that gets delivered on time.

“Despite seed company mergers and major industry changes, the plant has been part of the Phillips area for 60 years because of the strong community support and the high-quality seed grown in the area,” Hunter said.  “Our seed comes from 100 percent irrigated acres, which produce consistently high yields.” 

The Syngenta facility at Phillips, Neb., contracts with 26 local growers to raise more than 650,000 bushels of hybrid seed annually.  Syngenta then conditions and distributes that seed to Garst, Golden Harvest and NK Brand customers from the Dakotas down to Texas, and west to California.

Syngenta markets more than 23 million units of corn and soybean seed to growers and agricultural retailers through its Garst, Golden Harvest, NK and Greenleaf Genetics™ brands, and it has a network of 11 soybean seed production facilities and seven seed corn production facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

“Our focus is to provide our seed companies and customers with a reliable supply of high-quality seed. The investment in this conditioning tower positions us to better deliver the combination of elite corn genetics, traits and seed treatment options to our customers,” said Ed Herlein, head, NAFTA Operations, Syngenta Seeds.  “The Phillips plant plays an important role in not only meeting those customer needs, but also in fulfilling our plans to be a leading seed-technology resource for the agricultural marketplace.”

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology.  The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market.  Sales in 2004 were approximately $7.3 billion.  Syngenta employs some 20,000 people in over 100 countries.  Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT).