Quality Assurance is Key at Ralco Nutrition

At Ralco Nutrition, quality assurance is the cornerstone of our success and, ultimately, the key to customer profitability.
During good or bad economic times the standards and principles that Ralco Nutrition practice do not change. Ralco Nutrition has a quality assurance program based on verification and traceability that never deviates from the highest standards. From the origin of every ingredient to the delivery of a finished product, Ralco Nutrition is committed to providing information when it is most needed. Ralco Nutrition has provided the highest quality livestock nutrition products for nearly four decades, while also providing an increasingly valuable commodity — peace of mind.
The regulation of feed manufacturers has increased considerably during the past decade. Ralco Nutrition has continually implemented quality assurance standards in anticipation of new regulations, ensuring that the company stays ahead of the curve.
“We are being held closer to the same standard — and sometimes even higher — than the human food side,” said Doug Wing, vice president of operations at Ralco Nutrition.
The Quality Assurance Team at Ralco Nutrition headed by industry veteran Tom Caron anticipates regulation years in advance. As quality control manager, Caron heads up an experienced crew dedicated to product safety and production efficiency, including Gary Loeck, a quality control technician, and Dr. Richard Lamb, a chemical engineer. Caron himself has 27 years of experience in the food industry, 20 of them in quality control.
At Ralco Nutrition, quality assurance is a company-wide mission. From ingredient purchasers through the production processors to the delivery truck, everyone plays an important role ensuring quality and customer satisfaction.
“Everyone at Ralco recognizes the importance of their job. They recognize the need for a strong quality control program and are always offering ideas on how to improve the quality of our products,” Caron said. “Everyone involved in the production process is a huge part of the equation and our success.”

What Ralco Nutrition Does for You
• Receives a certificate of analysis for each shipment from all ingredient suppliers.
• Works with many of the same ingredient suppliers for years, establishing strong trade relationships.
• Each batch of product is sampled, inspected throughout the production process, and a retention sample is kept.
• Each product has been scientifically analyzed to ensure a reliable shelf life.
• Uses Feed Mill Manager (FMM), a computerized system that provides processes for the entire feed-order cycle. FMM integrates order processing, formulation control, manufacturing and accounting all in one software system. FMM provides one-time order of ingredients and finished product.
• Uses Sterling Systems and Controls. The state-of-the-art batch system reduces cost, greatly lowers the opportunity for human error and provides electronic transfer of formulations during the milling process.
“One of the major advantages is our ability to conduct lot tracking,” said Josh Chandler, production planner for Ralco Nutrition. “We have better lot tracking capability because the process is all electronic now. This system provides the ability for formulations to go directly from the nutritionist’s head to the finished product and it is all electronic.”
“We are one of the first (nutrition companies) to get this detailed of a system into our production facility. Most manufacturers don’t have the lot tracking capabilities or scanning capabilities,” Chandler said.

The Goal
“We know that we have the best nutritionists, sales staff and distributors in the industry and we want to provide them with the best products to sell,” Doug Wing said.
Ralco Nutrition has quality assurance procedures in place that exceed industry standards, and is currently in the process of having those efforts recognized. Ralco Nutrition manufacturing plants will soon be Safe Feed Safe Food and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certified.
Ultimately, computers and certifications cannot guarantee quality. People who care will always produce superior products. Ralco Nutrition and its employees care about quality and the profitability of their customers.
“Our people are our greatest asset,” Wing said.

Essentialyte, Net Energy Take Foothold In Taiwan

Ralco International continues to expand its presence in the Asian livestock production market. Ralco International sustained its expansion during the recent introduction of Essentialyte™ in Taiwan. Dr. Jeff Knott, swine technical sales, Ralco Nutrition, and Dr. Steven Kuan, technical manager of Asia-Pacific, Ralco Nutrition, presented technical information to distributors and sales staff in the region while also traveling to production facilities for customer presentations.
On June 10, Dr. Knott and Dr. Kuan met with distributors at Go Farm Intl Co Ltd offices in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Dr. Knott presented information about using EnMax® technology in sow, nursery, grower and finisher swine diets. Dr. Knott’s presentation also included the benefits of using net energy when formulating swine feed, a concept that has gained a foothold in Asian markets.
“Our distributors understand the advantages of net energy and they are very receptive to it,” Dr. Knott said. “They are looking for more and better technology.”
Both Dr. Knott and Dr. Kuan also provided a brief introduction to First Pulse® D, a colostrum-based oral product for disadvantaged piglets.
The following day Dr. Knott and Dr. Kuan introduced Essentialyte™ to more than 70 customers from the livestock industry. The meeting was held at Taiwan Livestock Research Institute in Sin Hua, Taiwan. The attendees included feed millers, sub distributors for Go Far, and producers of both swine and poultry. Essentialyte™ is a granular feed grade nutritional supplement and flavor that is administered through feed during times of stress to promote gut health. The powder contains oregano essential oil, herbs and electrolytes that stimulate water and feed intake under stressful conditions. Heat stress in livestock production is a major problem in Taiwan.
“There are some other herbal products out there, but nothing that alleviates the heat stress issues and promotes gut health like Essentialyte™,” Dr. Knott said.
Dr. Knott discussed the effect of heat stress on sow and swine production. He presented information on the use of Essentialyte™ to reduce heat stress and provided data on the use of Essentialyte™ to boost swine production by improving intestinal health.
Dr. Daniel Chen of Go Far Intl Co Ltd conducted translation during the meetings.

First Pulse® D Successfully Launched in Thailand

Ralco Nutrition, a trusted source of innovation and technology worldwide, successfully launched First Pulse® D, a revolutionary colostrum-based oral product for disadvantaged piglets to the swine industry in Thailand. During a seminar for 123 swine producers in Bangkok, Dr. Jeff Knott, swine technical sales, Ralco Nutrition, and Dr. Steven Kuan, technical manager of Asia-Pacific, Ralco Nutrition, presented information that demonstrated how First Pulse® D boosts survivability and productivity of light-weight piglets.
The seminar, organized by Vet Agritech Company (VAC), provided Drs. Kuan and Knott the opportunity to demonstrate how First Pulse® D is superior to competitive products.
“Our First Pulse® D is unique because the four key ingredients it contains are either found in low concentration in competitive products or not at all. First of all, the levels of immune and growth factors are high in First Pulse® D because we use fractionated and concentrated extract,” Dr. Kuan said. “Also, First Pulse® D is the only product on the market with our unique soluble fiber and oregano essential oil.”
Dr. Kuan provided extensive information pertaining to the mode-of-action, features and benefits of First Pulse® D. Dr. Knott presented data from trials conducted by Ralco Nutrition that consistently demonstrates significant improvements in gain, weaning weight and average daily gain. First Pulse® D naturally helps stabilize the immune system, rapidly restores piglet appetite and provides an immediate energy source while feeding beneficial bacteria in the gut to restore microbial balance.
“First Pulse® D is a key product for Ralco Nutrition in Thailand. For the producers, First Pulse® D is a needed product to boost the survivability and productivity of light-weight piglets,” Dr. Kuan said.
Assistant Professor Nattawut Ratanavanichrojn from Kasetsart University in Thailand also provided a presentation during the meeting entitled, “The Value of Underweighted Pigs and Destroying Decisions.” During his presentation Professor Ratanavanichrojn introduced five ways to reduce underweighted pigs:
1) Control sow’s body condition score at 4, 12 and 16th week of gestation period
2) Increase sow lactating feed intake by adding feeding times (3-4 times per day)
3) Increase lactating period
4) Colostrum management and colostrum supplementation
5) Vitamin and mineral intake