Arla Foods
Arla Foods a.m.b.a. is a Swedish- Danish dairy cooperative based in Viby near Aarhus in Denmark. Arla is the world's fourth largest dairy, it has a total of 12,256 shareholders, of which 3354 Danish, Swedish 3661 and 3657 German, Belgian and Luxembourg (as of January 2013). Arla has production plants in 12 countries and sales offices in a further 30 countries and employs approximately 19,650 employees. The products of Arla are sold in more than 100 countries, with Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands are considered core markets of the company.
In Germany Arla operates as Arla Foods GmbH, headquartered in Dusseldorf. In Dusseldorf, the business unit Consumer Arla Germany & Netherlands is established. Managing Director of this unit is Tim Ørting Jørgensen.
Cooperative system
The company Arla Foods a.m.b.a. is a dairy cooperative and is run as a representative democracy. Each member, usually a natural or legal person having a dairy farm, has one vote. Every two years is selected existing representative assembly consisting of 177 persons ( including 165 cooperative members and 12 staff representative).
In Denmark and Sweden, the cooperative is in geographic regions, called circles, divided. 29 of which are located in Sweden, 25 in Denmark. These circles are also grouped into six regions ( three in Sweden, 3 in Denmark). With the Hansa Arla Milch eG (formerly Hansa milk Mecklenburg -Holstein eG ), the MUH Arla eG (formerly Milch-Union Hocheifel eG ) and the Arla Milk Link Limited (formerly Milk Link Limited) has the cooperative three corporate members.
The Representative Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the dairy cooperative. The members of the representative assembly composed of circuit council chairperson, employee representatives and representatives of the Hansa Arla Milch, Arla MUH eG and Arla Milk Link ( UK). The Supervisory Board of Arla Foods a.m.b.a. consists of 19 members and is composed of 15 co-operative learning and four employee representatives.
The Supervisory Board consists of four sub-committees, the so-called National Councils. The National Councils deal with specific issues of ownership in the respective countries. The National Board are appointed for a period of two years and consist of two Supervisory Board members in the country and six members of the Board of Representatives of Arla.
The Representative Assembly and the Board meet corporate decisions. Thus, under the Board of Representatives of the use of the profit, the Supervisory Board reviewed the business, manages the company's assets, resulting financial statements and determines the management. The daily business of Arla Foods a.m.b.a. is headed by the Executive Management Board.
History
The foundation for the cooperative was laid in the 19th century, emerged as in Denmark and Sweden, the first dairies and their number increased rapidly. In the spring of 2000, the merger between the Swedish Arla Group and the Danish MD Foods was.
Part of the fusion mass of the Arla Group was founded in 1986, the joint venture Biolac based in Harbarnsen ( 50per cent of the German dairy cooperative milk drying Südhannover ).
In 2006, Arla three dairies. The U.S. company White Clover Dairy was acquired with 170 employees, which sold since 1998 Arla products in the U.S. under license. In addition, Arla took over the Finnish dairy Ingman Foods Oy Ab and Tholstrup Cheese. As part of that sale, Arla took over the Castello brand in its own product line.
Arla merged in 2007 and the British Express Dairies. Under the name of Arla Foods UK this created the largest company for dairy products in the UK.
In early October 2011, the Swedish dairy cooperative Milko was taken.
International activity
Arla Foods has sales offices in twelve countries and manufacturing operations in another 30 countries.
Arla include 51% of the listed English company Arla Foods UK.
In Inner Mongolia ( China) Arla operates in a joint venture with Mengniu Dairy under the name Mengniu Arla a milk powder factory with a capacity of 8,000 tonnes per year. Arla has at this company a 49% share of the Chinese partner owns 51%.
Arla Germany
History
Since 1952 Arla products are available in Germany. German farmers are, however, until the merger with the North German Upahl based Hansa milk Mecklenburg -Holstein eG early 2011 at Arla Foods amba represented. The cooperative with 1049 members is now run under the Hansa Arla Milch and is a corporate member of Arla Foods amba The operations at the production sites Upahl and Karstädt runs over the Arla Foods Germany GmbH.
On 8 November 2011, the EU Commission approved as part of its merger control, the planned takeover of the Allgaeu -Käsereien GmbH together with its subsidiaries by Arla. The focus of Arla in the adoption of Allgäuland is on the production of specialty cheeses. These developments have had in 2011 the construction of a separate business unit for Germany and the Netherlands leading to: " Arla Consumer Germany & Netherlands ."
On 28 September 2012, the competition authorities of the European Union approved the merger between Arla and the Milch-Union Hocheifel eG, based in Pronsfeld in the Eifel and 2700 cooperative members from Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. The merger took effect on 1 October 2012. The production site Pronsfeld has since been trading as " Arla Foods Germany GmbH Branch Pronsfeld ". The cooperative is run as MUH Arla eG and is a corporate member of Arla Foods amba.
After these mergers Arla is now one of the three largest dairies in Germany.
Arla in Germany
- Number of owners: 3,657
- Number of dairies: 8
- Number of employees: 1,850
- Net sales 2012: 7 billion DKK (approx. 940 million euro )
Products
In Germany Arla offers a variety of product categories such as Cream cheese, hard and semi-hard cheese, spreadable fats or fresh milk products. Under the umbrella brand / company Arla brand cream cheese and cheese varieties, mixed fat spreads and the organic range are summarized; Cheese specialties are represented under the brand name Castello. There are also numerous commercial brands, which manufactures the Group for many trading partners.
Among the most famous manufacturers brands / product brands include Arla Buko, Castello and Arla Kærgården. International markets its products under Arla Arla, Lurpak and Castello.
Selection of other, international product brands of the Group:
- Range " butter / mixed fat spreads ": Anchor and Yorkshire butter
- Range " cheese / cheese specialties ": Denmarks Finest, Discover, Dofino, Høng, Rosenborg, Saga and Tholstrup
- Range " milk / dairy drinks ": Cravendale
- Range " lactose-free products ": Lactofree
Corporate Social Responsibility
Arla has prescribed the principle " The Closer to Nature " in 2009. In this regard, the company combines measures from the field of Corporate Social Responsibility. This includes ensuring that the products are made as natural as possible and the farms and processing burden on the environment and climate as little as possible. Also dealing with customers, employees and social commitment are defined therein.
As part of " The Closer to Nature " and the Environmental Strategy 2020 has been developed. Relevant objectives of the Company are: production of natural milk products, species-appropriate treatment of animals and sustainable agriculture.
Awards
2012 products from Arla from the Yellow line (cheese and cream cheese ) were awarded the " PriMax " of the German Agricultural Society. The European award Arla thus received for the twelfth time in a row " for outstanding quality " .. In addition to this award are many products from Arla DLG awards, including milk, cheese and cream cheese products, Arla produces itself or under brand names and markets. .
International was a.m.b.a. Arla Foods 2013 in the fields of cheese, milk, butter and packaging innovation with the Dairy Innovation Awards 2013 in the framework of the " Global Dairy Congress " Award.
Loss of revenue by product boycott
The publication of the Muhammad cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and the subsequent boycott of Danish products by Islamic countries caused a decline in sales in 2005 to several hundred million euros.