Oakleigh Premium Pet Ingredients Ltd.-Customer driven approach

Oakleigh Premium Pet Ingredients Ltd., a subsidiary of Nutriscience Technologies, Inc.(a Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc. company), is a leading manufacturer and supplier of palatability enhancers and fresh and frozen meat products for the wet and dry dog and cat food manufacturers in Europe. Headquartered in Ascot, England, Oakleigh Premium Pet Ingredients has been supplying ingredients to the pet food industry for more than 50 years. In 1946, after supplying meat products for his own kennel and breeding of Airedales, George Jackson established a business of supplying meat products to pet owners in the local area. The business grew and in the 1950's established delivery of meat products throughout the South East of England. From this beginning the company has grown over the years to establish themselves as a leading supplier of meat products and digests to the pet food industry throughout Europe.

Today the processing of Category 3 animal by-products at Oakleigh is divided into two main product areas: 1) the foundation for the original business, fresh and frozen meat products presently incorporated in wet and dry pet foods, and 2) digests (soon to be regulated in the EU as flavouring innards )first manufactured at Oakleigh in the 1960's, to enhance and continually improve the palatability and acceptance of dog and cat food formulations.

The meet customer needs on a global scale, Nutriscience Technologies Inc. acquired Oakleigh Manufacturing and Oakleigh Transport in 2003 and formed Oakleigh Premium Pet Ingredients Ltd., to integrate with and complement Mitsui's other pet food ingredient companies. These include Bioproducts Incorporated, the market leader in palatability enhancers (BioFlavor® digests) in the US, and Biopalatants Pty Ltd, the market leader for palatants in Australia. Oakleigh fits very well into its parent's overall strategy to expand global investment in the pet food ingredient market, and the acquisition enhances their plans for the European pet food flavours and ingredients market. They have available the technical and support resources from these companies to ensure the needs of pet food manufacturers across Europe are satisfied.

The logistics division, Oakleigh Transport, serves the requirements of the manufacturing facility by maintaining a fleet of trucks to collect fresh raw material 24 hours per day and delivering finished product directly to pet food manufacturers in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe.

They are fully compliant with national and European regulations governing animal by-products and meets all requirements established in the EU Directive (EC) stringent conditions of the new regulations" comments Chris Baker, Commercial Manager, "but ultimately it is in these regulations in place."

They have worked closely with the Pet Food Manufacturers Association and FEDIAF in amending EU Regulation (EC) 1774/2002 over the past year with an emphasis on digests and the lack of recognition for this important ingredient in the original regulation draft. Oakleigh recognizes the importance of not only working side by side with customers but also having the influence to improve the regulatory process.

According to Andy Smith, Managing Director, "the focus of Oakleigh is to provide pet food manufacturers with the products, quality and service they need to help grow their market share in a very competitive pet food business." Oakleigh excels in the style in which it supplies its customers.

This entails a collaborative relationship, over and above the normal customer-supplier relationship. Only by understanding the customer's unique and specific needs, they can focus their R&D and testing resources on the objective of providing solutions to the customer's specific needs.

Capital investments are being made to enhance the flavouring manufacturing capabilities to provide for greater flexibility and variety of all performance levels of palatability enhancers.

Oakleigh also has the capability to provide custom meat blends for direct meat injection in dry pet foods and blends for the wet pet food industry.

Oakleigh's customer driven approach provides manufacturers with the best value and highest performance product range available to meet their palatability needs and requirements for fresh and frozen meat and meat blends.

For further information:

www.oakleighuk.co.uk

1946  Oakleigh Hotel and Kennels purchased by George Jackson near Ascot, England

1950        Company formed Oakleigh Animal Products Ltd., making meat products

1958        Moved to current site in Ascot, England

1960's Started manufacturing digest for flavouring pet foods

1970's Renamed to Oakleigh Manufacturing and Oakleigh Transport, divisions of Jokyle Holding Ltd.

2003  Oakleigh companies purchased by Mitsui & Co(USA) Inc. and renamed to Oakleigh Premium Pet Ingredients, Ltd.

PETS International Magazine ISSUE 4,2004