Brussels, October 28, 2011 – On Oct 18th and 19th, Novus Europe hosted in Tarragona (Spain) more than 100 leaders in the feed and food sectors from more than 30 countries. Customers, partners and friends of Novus gathered together to enjoy a Celebration Ceremony, as well as the Inauguration of a state-of-the-art Novus Europe R&D Center of Excellence in Reus (Spain). A Scientific Symposium was also held and focused on “Innovation with Integrity”. Keynote speakers together with PhD students from across Europe illustrated how collaborative innovation and science-based solutions can help addressing the challenges of the animal nutrition industry.
October 18th – 20th anniversary celebration and inauguration of the new R&D Center
Members of Novus executive management went through 20 years of discovery, innovation and success. In the past decade alone, Novus team has brought to market more than 100 new products, serving more than 3,000 customers worldwide. Novus is today a diversified global manufacturer of health and nutrition products for livestock, aquaculture, pets and people.
Novus guiding vision is helping to feed the world affordable, wholesome food, and achieve a higher quality of life. In 50 years, the population will require 100% more food. Since resources and arable land are limited; 70% of it must be provided through a higher efficiency. Novus teams have passionately embraced this vision. In order to meet the world’s demand for food, the agriculture industry must collaborate and innovate, developing new technologies and new ideas. It goes from the establishment of local teams of professional experts connected to a global network of expertise, as emphasized by Susana Tintoré, Executive Director of Invest in Catalonia, to a close interaction with customers based on science based solutions and market awareness, as mentioned by José De Muynck, Head of nutrition of Danis.
Novus inaugurates its fifth Research Center of Excellence in presence of the Catalan authorities
Novus’s culture is shaped by the spirit of innovation and discovery. As a cornerstone of this vision, Novus’s Global Research network includes 5 research facilities in Beijing, China; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Montgomery City, Missouri, USA; St. Charles, Missouri, USA; and most recently in Reus, Spain; with a staff of more than 150 PhD. Nutritionists and Doctors of Veterinary Medicine.
The state-of-the-art Research Center of Excellence was inaugurated during the 20th anniversary celebration. It allows Novus to provide innovative solutions to its business partners, supporting their activities in close collaboration with the regional research institutes and industries.
As stated by Gary Reznik, Head of Novus R&D Europe, “The Center employs a full-time staff of 10 top-notch Ph.D.- and M.S.-level scientists and is equipped with an extensive array of top quality lab equipment, analytical instrumentation and IT systems. It is organized into four product development areas of over 400+ sqm in total: feed technology, food technology, microbiology and process simulation.“
The main research focuses are:
- The development of feed and food novel solutions, especially natural ingredient-based products such as antioxidant, pigments, and essential oils with superior bio-efficacy.
- Process optimization and development of new sustainable technologies
- Customer technological and scientific support
October 19th – Symposium ‘”Innovation with Integrity”
The challenge of global, sustainable agriculture is complex and involves multiple, inter-related issues. The answers to these questions will not be satisfied through one perspective. That is why Novus organized the Novus Symposium: 20 Years Innovation with Integrity.
Dr. Brufau, research director and program coordinator at IRTA, illustrated how the feed additive had a key role in linking animal nutrition to animal welfare, environmental protection and food safety. This is particularly the case in the context of the EU regulation and consumer expectations. Different studies carried out by IRTA are focusing on intestinal health in pigs and poultry, combining in vitro and farm models.
Dr. Chris Knight, Senior Vice President of Research & Development at Novus explained how Novus considers customers and business partners as part of the innovation process. Novus R&D staff integrated novel innovation strategies such as the Product Lifecycle Management or the Open Innovation system, The latest helps the seekers for solutions to interact with problem solvers from across the widest range of competencies and business areas. As cited by Dr Chris Knight from David Brooks, “‘Survival of the fittest depends as much on cooperation as it does on a competition between self interests”.
New challenges in animal and human nutrition require new ways of thinking, Novus is keen to meet and encourage young scientists to promote their research in animal nutrition. In this context, 10 PhD students working in the area were invited at the Novus Symposium: 20 Years Innovation with Integrity to share their innovative works with leaders in the feed and food industry. Dr. Florence Privé from the University of Aberystwyth, UK, illustrated how new bio-molecular technologies could help developing holistic strategies to reduce ruminal lipolisis, despite of the rumen complexity. Dr. Barbara Konsak, INRA Tours, France, demonstrated that fast-growth breeds of broilers had important differences in their microbiota compared to low performers, paving the road for the development of feeding strategies for new genetics. Dr. Lorenzo Bomba, University of Piacenza, Italy, showed how combining different animal models and nutri-genomic can support the understanding of the nutritional requirement of young piglets.
“Innovation with Integrity” has been a central attribute of Novus’s culture from the beginning, and our heritage has been built on developing innovative, science-based health through nutrition products for livestock, pets and people,” said Thad Simons, President and Chief Executive Officer of Novus. “We are very proud of our global network of employees, customers and partnerships and excited to celebrate with the many people who support our continued growth and success.”
About Novus:
Novus International, Inc. is headquartered in metropolitan St. Louis, Mo., U.S.A. and serves customers in more than 100 countries around the world. An industry leader in animal nutrition and health, Novus’s products include ALIMET® and MHA® feed supplements, ACTIVATE® nutritional feed acid, ACIDOMIX® preservative premixture, ADVENT® coccidiosis control, MINTREX® organic trace minerals, SANTOQUIN® feed preservative, MERA™MET aquaculture feed additive, AGRADO® feed ingredient and many other specialty ingredients. The ARENUS™ brand (www.arenusperformance.com), part of Novus International, Inc., focuses on developing performance products for the equine and companion animal markets. Novus is privately owned by Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. and Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.