DEC 2014 A US Perspective on Argentina: Mars

A US Perspective on
Argentina: Mars
FACE-TO-FACE
“Mars has been operating in Argentina for
over 20 years...and has made significant
investment in the country”.
Fabiano Lima
Vice President of Corporate Affairs
for Latin America
M
ars is a private, familyowned company established
nearly 100 years ago.
With headquarters in
McLean, Virginia, we operate in 74
countries and have more than 72,000
Associates. Mars has net sales of more
than $33 billion, and diverse lines
of business encompassing pet care,
chocolates, Wrigley, food, drinks and
Symbioscience. We have 394 operating
facilities (including 134 factories/R&D
sites), as well as Banfield Pet Hospital,
which runs more than 800 hospitals in
North America. We are proud that we
are the makers of some of the world’s
favorite consumer brands.
Mars has been operating in Argentina for
over 20 years, where it has consolidated
the pet care business. It also runs smallscale chocolate operations there. It
started operations in 1993, and in 1997 it
opened a dry pet food plant in Mercedes,
Buenos Aires Province. In 2010 it also
opened a wet pet food plant, and at
present both plants produce dry and
wet pet food for the PEDIGREE® and
WHISKAS® brands.
We employ more than 600 Associates
in two plants: the aforementioned one
in Mercedes, which uses dry and wet
pet food technology and another one
located in Gonzalez Catan, Buenos Aires
October/November, 2014
Mars Plant in Mercedes, Province of Buenos Aires.
Province, which is a dry technology
installation.
We are leaders in the pet food business
in Argentina, and enjoy a genuine
growth due to innovation and quality.
Mars Argentina also supplies the
markets of Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile,
Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia.
Mars Argentina has made significant
investments in the country; the last one
was to launch a new production line
for wet pet food, in which we invested
around $4 million to produce wet food
in pouches. This investment will allow
the company to double the production
capacity of this product and meet the
demands of the domestic and foreign
markets. Currently, we produce 3,950
tons per year of wet food and with the
new production line; this figure will rise
to 7,900 tons.
Short-term investments aim to complete
the acquisition process of the P&G
brands EUKANUBA® and IAMS®.
We started the migration process of the
plant that produces those brands, to our
plant in Mercedes; this also involves a
major outlay, an increase in production
and in headcount.
We are guided and united by our Five
Principles—Quality, Responsibility,
Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—
which span geographies, languages,
cultures and generations.
One of our major concerns is to help this
industry to enhance its quality standards
in the production process. We are very
demanding about this at Mars. Anyone
can produce balanced food, but this
must be done responsibly, and is one of
the issues that should be included in the
agenda of the animal defense leagues
and government officials. Mars produces
in Argentina respecting the same quality
processes implemented in the US and
Europe.
ARGENTINA
MONTHLY