Seprod Case Study

Resources and/or capabilities that Seprod have (or require) to successfully implement their strategy Through focused strategic planning, company acquisitions, market responsiveness, product diversification to meet the needs of local and international clientele, as well as strong local and export marketing, Seprod has grown to include several subsidiaries (Seprod Limited, 2014). The subsidiaries include firms such as Caribbean Products Company Limited, Serge Island Dairies Limited, Serge Island Farms Limited, Belvedere Limited, Golden Grove Sugar Company Limited, Jamaica Grain & Cereals Limited, International Biscuits Limited and Industrial Sales Limited

Seprod has a large quantity of skilled workers which enhance the quality of their resources.

Manufacturing businesses and business leaders need to increase their focus on key success factors such as: innovation, productivity improvement, investment in people & skills, and funding. Innovation is not just about retention and development, or the latest technology. It’s also about practical and efficient problem solving and business transformation. In the manufacturing industry, this can be achieved by: refining or exploring new supply and distribution channels, establishing new business offerings, developing leaner organizational arrangements, improving processes, providing a better customer experience, and accessing green, clean technology – high on the agenda for environmentally conscious customers (Performance, 2011)

For an increase in productivity a firm should focus on increasing its revenue and reducing its cost. This will lead to the longevity and success of a business. In the manufacturing industry, this means efficiency in internal processes. The knowledge and skills of people contributes to innovation and productivity improvement. Increasing pressures on the manufacturing sector stem from skills shortages and growing competition for talent. Well-connected people who are capable of collaborating and have access to peer knowledge can contribute to the success of a

158). It is expected that a corporate-level strategy will help the firm earn above-average returns by creating value. The corporate level strategies that are used by Seprod are vertical integration and diversification.

Diversification is where a company grows into new business areas either similar to existing business or different from existing business allowing a firm to create value by creatively using excess resources. Seprod operates in a number of different and distinctive product markets and several businesses using corporate-level strategy. Seprod operates in the fats and oil business, milk and juice and the sugar industry Vertical integration is where a company becomes their own supplier or distributor through acquisition. Seprod uses the strategy by their acquisition of Belvedere Estate in 2006 so as to expand its dairy farm pastures to increase their supply of milk output from the dairy farming. They also use vertical integration in their subsidiary Industrial Sales Limited. This is done by making them the main distributer and marketer of their