Empowered staff drive piggery profit

Outdated piggery infrastructure doesn't have to be a stumbling block to profitability. At Zimbabwe's Triple C Pigs, CEO lan Kennaird has proved that well-trained, motivated staff are the real drivers of productivity and profit. His philosophy: empower employees to think critically, act decisively, and take ownership of results. Lindi Botha reports on how the more than 600 employees are managed.

- Lindi Botha

Triple C Pigs runs five farms across Zimbabwe, some with facilities that have not seen upgrades in decades. Yet the operation remains competitive, selling similar kilograms per sow per year across piggeries with old and new infrastructure.

According to CEO Ian Kennaird, the secret lies not in infrastructure, but in people.

"Old infrastructure can still be relevant and competitive as long as the staff are functioning optimally. What makes the difference in productivity is the staff and how they manage the sows, not the infrastructure."

Kennaird manages more than 600 employees and credits the empowerment of staff as central to the success of Triple C Pigs. Empowerment requires daily commitment from management.

"Profitability in piggeries starts declining when one doesn't get the basics right, every time. Staff need to be managed so that they achieve the objectives you have for the business."

The performance indicators that matter most - farrowing rates, born-alives, and kilograms sold per sow per year - are only achieved when employees clearly understand what is expected of them, and why. That understanding does not come from instructions alone, but from time invested in training and engaging them in critical thinking.

TRAINING THROUGH QUESTIONING

Kennaird advocates a questioning style of management, one that forces employees to think for themselves rather than blindly following orders. For example, when walking through the farrowing house, he asks staff what they see in the crate. If the initial response is "nothing", he presses further: "What about the piglets? Do they look healthy? If not, what action should be taken? The employee might not know what to do, so you ask them what they would do if their child was not looking healthy. The answer is, take them to the doctor. So in this case, the supervisor or vet needs to be called.