When the lab comes to the sample: Bringing the power of on-the-spot feed analysis to Turkey

Miriam Suhren, Business Development and Sales Manager at trinamiX, recently spoke with our friends at Kartal Kimya. A strong partner in the regional animal feed market, Kartal has joined our distribution network to launch our Mobile NIR Spectroscopy Solution for Feed Analysis in Turkey.

Hi Miriam, could you give us a brief introduction of yourself and your position at trinamiX?
My name is Miriam Suhren and I’ve held various positions in the animal feed sector over the past 20 years. My passion for innovations and improving the daily work of industry professionals is what brought me to trinamiX. As a member of the business development and sales unit, I work closely with partners and customers to leverage our unique technology in order to create additional value for their businesses.

Can you provide a detailed explanation of trinamiX’s solution?
In a nutshell: Our Mobile NIR Spectroscopy Solution brings the lab to the sample, empowering customers across the agricultural value chain with fast nutritional insights wherever feed ingredients and raw materials are moved, processed or fed. Combining a robust handheld device backed by powerful analytics and an intuitive mobile app, the solution analyzes a broad range of parameters in feed materials that are relevant for all common livestock.

The data benefits a broad range of actors involved in the feed business: from feed consultants, manufacturers and traders to veterinarians, academia, and farmers. Since the needs are as unique as the challenges across the industry, we’re continuously expanding our offering together with our partners to ensure that our solution unleashes its full potential to benefit our growing customer base.

Can you elaborate on those benefits?
Knowledge of the nutritional content and quality of feed material is critical for ensuring that farmed livestock is fed optimally and efficiently. This starts with the delivery and processing of quality ingredients at feed mills and ends with precisely formulated diets on the farm. So far, the agricultural value chain has mainly depended on external labs to gain access to nutritional information about feed materials. This is not only time-consuming and costly, but often times simply impractical in light of established processes at the site. With our solution, customers receive valuable real-time data that is needed on the spot to calculate the optimal diets for different livestock to perform at its best.

However, the benefits don’t end with feed formulation. Our solution also helps in the field to decide on the right harvest timing; before transport to determine the actual nutritional value of a product as it’s prepared for shipment; and during delivery to ensure the materials arriving at a site are in accordance with a supplier’s labeling. At the end of the day, we work closely with our customers and partners on making sure our solution solves their challenges. And this is how sometimes exciting new use cases arise.

What makes trinamiX stand out as a solution provider for the animal nutrition industry?
As a subsidiary of BASF, one of the largest chemical companies in the world that has a strong footprint in the agricultural industry, trinamiX is in a unique position to deliver solutions that have a true impact. On the one hand, we benefit from the holistic “helicopter view” of an industry heavyweight with a profound understanding of the feed sector. On the other hand, trinamiX is an agile organization that is driving cutting-edge innovations made possible by combining our unique tech know-how with speedy processes. This mix makes us a reliable and trusted partner to our customers who value that their feedback is heard.

Apart from the benefits, what makes your solution so special?
We’re proud that the core components of our solution are made in Germany. Our strong commitment to detail and quality is reflected in the performance and robustness of our device. The resulting high accuracy of the data we provide is unique, which makes our solution a trusted companion at the site. And as a subsidiary of a chemical company, security has been part of our DNA from the very start. Our mobile app and customer portal, for example, adhere to strictest encryption standards ensuring our customer’s data is safe.

Ultimately, we put a strong focus on developing a growing network of industry partners across the globe. This enables us to follow a regional and industry-specific approach which is necessary as markets in Turkey, for example, differ from the ones in the US.

Why is precision feeding important and what is trinamiX's contribution?
I would like to quote a customer who once said: “Thanks to your solution, I finally have the opportunity to know the actual value of the basic feed I’m currently holding in my hand”. Most of the times, feed consultants or farmers have to rely on tables of averaged nutritional values published in literature or printed on labels in order to calculate the feed formulation.

However, they usually deal with inhomogeneous samples whose nutritional values depend on many factors – including weather, storage, and harvest. And trust me, it makes a huge price difference if the raw protein level of corn fed to chickens is five percent higher or lower when calculating feed formulations. Users of our solution can be certain about receiving precise data on the actual nutritional composition to calculate the best-possible diets. This not only reduces the costs as customers will become smarter about rationing complimentary feed components, but it also ensures a more resourceful and sustainable management of home-grown resources.

What are your objectives in regard to your collaboration with Kartal Kimya, and how do you perceive Kartal's standing within the sector?
Our BASF colleagues introduced us to Kartal as a successful and trusted partner. And it didn’t take long for us to realize that we have found the perfect match to bring the power of our pocket lab to customers in Turkey. Not only does our new partner understand the specific pain points our solution addresses in the region, but its expertise regarding local regulatory and economic aspects is indispensable to a successful launch strategy in Turkey. I’m looking forward to seeing how our solution will bring value to customers in yet another exciting market.

For inquiries from Turkey, please visit Kartal Kimyar at: https://en.kartal.com.tr/