Features Business Policy
Canadian success stories profiled in case study series

March 26, 2009, Guelph – Two Canadian organizations, Thompsons and The
Little Potato Company, are featured in a series of international value
chain case studies being released by the Value Chain Management Centre.

March 26, 2009, Guelph – Two Canadian organizations, Thompsons and The Little Potato Company, are featured in a series of international value chain case studies being released by the Value Chain Management Centre.

Successful value chains are quickly becoming a differentiating factor in improving profitability for companies around the globe. The intent of these case studies is to educate potential participants, including producers, about the factors involved in creating and managing value chains. Success comes from taking unnecessary costs out of the system, as well as capturing premiums where possible.

“The formation of closely-aligned chains is a worldwide trend and, therefore, a strategy that the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector must adopt in order to remain competitive”, says Martin Gooch, director of the Value Chain Management Centre.

He points out that “value chain management is an adaptive strategy. By sharing and acting upon timely, accurate information from along the chain, participants have greater opportunities to successfully adapt to changes than those operating as isolated, often adversarial, individuals.”
 
Participants in existing chains recognize the value in sharing their stories, pointing out not only winning strategies, but also potential hazards for others to avoid.  According to Gooch, “many initiatives share common factors, critical to their success, and open, in-depth communication is part of the process.  We are grateful for the willingness of case study participants to share their stories with those in the Canadian sector.”
 
The first four case studies are available on the Value Chain Management Centre website, www.vcmtools.ca.