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Olam is one of the world’s largest cotton companies, with a strong presence in most producing and consuming countries. We have a global supply network of over 100,000 farmers, ginners and suppliers and an established and diversified customer base across all markets.
We initially focused on growing our cotton business in Africa and Asia, which has always been a strong geographical base for Olam. With a clear vision and a well-executed strategy, the cotton business has grown rapidly, expanding origination, ginning and marketing capabilities to become a leading supplier of choice for African and Asian cottons. In 2007, we acquired Queensland Cotton, firmly establishing our footprint in Australia and strengthening our position in Brazil and the USA.
Experts in Origination
Africa
Olam has a dominant presence in Africa, with ginning operations in Zimbabwe, Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Nigeria. We work with all stakeholders to develop crops by providing farmer extension services, the distribution of seeds and other inputs. This results in yield and quality improvements that benefit both producers and consumers. We also have long-standing relationships with cotton marketing boards and ginners, for whom we are a preferred partner.
Asia
Our Central Asian operations are headquartered at Tashkent, in Uzbekistan. We have developed strong in-house quality and logistics capabilities to efficiently transport cotton from these land-locked countries for shipment to major markets. We are the leading supplier of medium and extra-long staple cotton from this region. In India we have based our ginning operations in Gujarat and leveraged our long-term presence in other agricultural products to set up an extensive sourcing infrastructure across major growing regions. We are a major participant in the regional trade flow and enjoy a strong franchise with domestic spinning mills, which have been built over a decade of supplying imported and domestic cotton.
Americas
In the USA we are a leading supplier of Pima, SJV and Certified FibermaxTM cotton varieties. Our business in the country is well diversified, with a presence in Texas, Memphis, California and Arizona. Our ginning and warehousing infrastructure is based in the latter two states. We participate in the regional and domestic trade flows to both North and South American markets. In Brazil we have long-standing relationships with a large number of growers and provide them with innovative financial and risk-management solutions. We are a leading exporter from Brazil and are also increasing our participation in the domestic market.
Australia
With the acquisition of Queensland Cotton, we have a dominant presence in Australia built over decades through relationships with growers for whom we provide the services of marketing, ginning, classing, warehousing, logistics, and seed marketing. We are recognized as an industry leader, a trusted supplier of premium quality cotton, and are a preferred partner for many of the major Textile Mills worldwide.
Leaders in Ginning
Olam is the largest private ginner in the world. We have significant ginning investments in Africa, Australia and the US. We also have ginning operations in India, China and Kazakhstan. This gives us full control of the raw cotton supply chain, allowing us to improve lint quality and produce customised and contamination-controlled cottons.
Using the latest technology, Olam’s world-class ginning systems maintain, or even improve, fibre quality, benefitting both the grower and the spinning mill. In Africa our ginning programs involve partnering with growers, regulatory agencies and logistics providers to improve farm productivity and seed cotton handling processes, leading to enhanced economic benefits for the industry.
Exceptional processing standards, leading-edge technology, world-class ginning equipment, stringent maintenance programmes and highly-trained operators ensure grower confidence, a superior and consistent quality of cotton and exceptional safety standards.
We place a strong emphasis on developing long-term, sustainable relationships with growers and obtaining the best quality outcomes for them. We welcome our customers to visit our gins and discuss specific requirements as their cotton is being processed.
Serving Our Customers
We are a major supplier of cotton to the world’s textile markets. Our success is attributed to our focus on quality and customer service.
Our experienced team is focused on servicing cotton producers and satisfying the needs of the spinning mills worldwide. Our aim is to develop and maintain long-term relationships with our customers and supply them with quality cottons, on time and in accordance with their requirements.
Our central marketing office is in Singapore, in close proximity to the world’s major consuming markets. We also have marketing offices in Australia, China, India, Turkey and Vietnam. We support customers through a global network of experienced and trustworthy agents who work closely with us to promote our business. We carry inventories in China, Malaysia, Turkey and UAE to meet the just-in-time requirements of our customers. Our customer service philosophy is to ensure reliable contractual performance.
We aim to:
- Make “On Time” shipments
- Deliver quality as per contract
- Provide a quick response to queries
Our well-trained customer service team uses integrated IT systems that are linked to all origination and marketing offices around the world, enabling us to deliver a superior service at all times.
Logistics and Warehousing
We manage the transportation requirements of our cotton businesses in each of our producing regions, ensuring we remain competitive and flexible enough to meet customer requirements.
We operate captive warehousing spaces in the USA, Australia, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania and Nigeria. We offer customers a variety of flexible shipping arrangements and up-to-date information and tracking of their shipments.
Customised Risk Solutions
At Olam, we have developed risk management as a core competence. Our capacity to identify, capture, measure, monitor, manage and control the various risks in our business has enabled us to reach a global scale in a relatively short time.
Our ability to manage emerging market risks derives from our direct presence in all major cotton-producing countries and consuming markets.
This provides us with first-hand information on emerging supply and demand dynamics. Our knowledge management cell analyses this data to provide timely market intelligence to our customers.
The volatile commodity environment poses a significant challenge in controlling risks and protecting margins. Olam has developed in-house expertise to provide affordable risk management solutions to all our customers and suppliers. We can tailor our product offering to meet various requirements on pricing terms, currency and tenor.
Sustainability
Olam is committed to ensuring the cotton it sources is subject to the best production and processing practices. In some countries where we are not directly in control of production, we are committed to working with governments, professional associations and industry participants to progressively improve trade practices for the long-term benefit of all stakeholders involved.
Our Future
We have established a well-diversified cotton business of global scale, with a leading, competitive position in the industry. In the long term, we believe cotton will continue to be a preferred natural fibre for end-consumers. The outlook for cotton consumption appears promising, particularly with increased income levels in growing Asian economies. In several producing countries, cotton will continue to remain an important annual cash crop for a multitude of growers. We are well-positioned to continue to grow in this industry and expand our market share by serving our customers globally.
Download our product brochure here.
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