How did Claes Erlang reach the magical treshold of 40 piglets per sow per year? This was the focus of a presentation of the Danish pork producer himself at EuroTier. [Source: Pig Progress, by Vincent ter Beek Nov 12, 2014]
In two consecutive quarters in 2014 he managed to achieve production figures of over 40 piglets per sow per year. He spoke at the seminar ‘Feed Your Brain’, organised by Danish animal nutrition company Hamlet Protein, during EuroTier, in Hanover, Germany. Erlang, a pork producer from close to Kolding, Jutland, Denmark, told his audience his approach and attitude to various different elements of pig production. Bottom line of his story was: he simply does everything right and proactively and has an eye for every little detail.
People management is key for achieving this. He says he is keen to learn from mistakes, and he encourages his farm staff to benchmark their achievements. Also, he updates them regularly on all affairs going on in and around the farm and he encourages them to come up with ideas. It helps that he has a very keen eye for detail, Erlang says – this helps with avoiding problems before they occur. It takes time to convey this to his employees, but finally this pays off.