Bringing the world to Saskatchewan for 40 years
There’s an old proverb that states, “No road is long with good company.” For Canpotex Limited, the world’s premier potash exporter, this sentiment strikes close to home. Since 1972, Canpotex has travelled the world to market Saskatchewan potash on behalf of its shareholders (Agrium, Mosaic and PotashCorp), building business and relationships along the way. In early September, those roads led back to Canpotex’s hometown of Saskatoon where more than 220 people from across the globe gathered for an international celebration to mark the exporter’s 40th anniversary. “For the four decades Canpotex has been selling and shipping Saskatchewan potash around the world, our belief in building long-term relationships has been at the core of our business,” said Steven Dechka, the company’s longtime President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our friends, partners and shareholders travelled from Asia, Europe, South America, Oceania and across the United States and Canada to help us celebrate our 40th anniversary; this shows that a large part of our success relies upon our dedication to the people with whom we do business.”
More than potash exports
In addition to promoting, marketing and selling Saskatchewan potash, Canpotex facilitates market development programs in many of the countries it serves – working with producers to help them improve their crop yield. In the early 1980s, the first of Canpotex’s market development programs was initiated in China. Today, the programs run in countries across Asia and South America, providing the opportunity for soil science experts to work with farmers one-on-one. Despite differences in language and culture, Canpotex’s world-class employees have connected with customers over the importance of sustainable agriculture. Understanding the challenge of producing more food for more people, and the role of fertilizer in this process, has led to deep respect and lasting friendships around the globe. “The world has changed dramatically over the past 40 years, but our common interest in agriculture and food production has allowed us to form bonds with our customers and partners that remain today. The importance of building trusting relationships will never change,” Dechka said.
Four decades of achievement
Like any business that’s been operating for four decades, Canpotex has marked significant milestones in its corporate history. Of its noteworthy successes, Canpotex stepped out and became one of the first Canadian companies to run advertising on Chinese television in 1986. In 2000, Canpotex shipped its 100 millionth tonne of potash and, four years later, surpassed annual gross sales revenue of US $1 billion for the first time. And, from potash sales of 2.7 million tonnes at the end of the 1970s, Canpotex has increased its sales more than three-fold – to 9.8 million tonnes at the end of 2011. These accomplishments are significant on their own, but where the true difference lies is in the scale of the marketing agency’s milestones. Its international achievements not only help its business overseas, it strengthens its capacity back home. Canpotex was one of the first Canadian companies to open an office in China and one of the first to set up a base on Southeast Asia. Now, the company has an important corporate office in Singapore and is a key agricultural supplier to the Asian region.
World-class infrastructure
At the same time the company was building relationships and growing its business, Canpotex was expanding its key potash transportation network. In 1972, Canpotex rented its first railcars to move potash across Western Canada. Today, it has an unmatched fleet of 5,000 specialized railcars to transport product to port. Since taking an ownership share in Neptune Terminals in Vancouver in 1979, Canpotex has invested tens of millions of dollars to expand the port and increase its storage and load-out capacities, making it an efficient stop on the potash journey. The company built its own terminal facility in Portland, Oregon, in 1997, adding to its impressive transportation and logistics assets and helping Canpotex become the world’s premier potash exporter. When Saskatchewan potash reaches those port facilities in Vancouver and Portland, the product is loaded onto partner vessels – like the Ultra Saskatchewan launched in 2010 – and taken to points across the globe. Just last year, Canpotex contracted the construction of three new vessels to be delivered into service between 2013 and 2014 – bringing the company’s fleet of new vessels to 18 and adding to its overall transportation network. “Without our network of rail, port and shipping systems, Canpotex wouldn’t be the company it is today,” said Dechka. “While this infrastructure is an important part of our business, nothing is more important to us than the people who receive that potash when it reaches its many overseas destinations.”
Building relationships that last
As a global business, the value of Canpotex’s potash exports is felt both around the world in healthy crops and back home in investment, jobs and an international presence. By building the company on a foundation of relationships, Canpotex is more than a supplier of potash, explained Dechka: “It is a respected agricultural firm and a friend to customers, shareholders and partners from Singapore to Saskatoon. Our 40th anniversary celebration reflected the strength of our global business and international relationships,” he said. “It was wonderful to experience support from around the world for Canpotex at our Saskatoon event. It is even more gratifying to know we have so many strong global alliances to support us as we move into the future and continue to provide high-grade potash around the world.” While its potash exports circle the globe, Canpotex has the right relationships in place to ensure the journey isn’t a lonely voyage.
“This is what I am most proud of: the forming of relationships that are so deep, so genuine and so important to our industry, our province and indeed, to global agriculture.”
– Steven Dechka, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canpotex Limited
Quote from Reflections: Forty Years of Growing Relationships, a commemorative Canpotex anniversary book