Pilgrim’s Pride reports strong revenue growth
US poultry processor, Pilgrim’s Pride, has reported steady first quarter 2013 earnings with net sales of $2.0 billion, compared to $1.9 billion in sales in the first quarter of 2012.
The company is bouncing back from a particularly difficult 2011, when it posted a streak of losses due to surging feed costs and weak prices for chicken meat during a historically large glut in supplies. The downturn was part of a long-running boom-and-bust cycle that has over many years forced chicken processors to consolidate or shut down.
“Every quarter we see that our strategy and execution is working effectively. We delivered better results year over year despite $141 million of increased feed ingredient costs. By focusing on creating value with our key customers, we have diversified our product mix, honed our execution and are seeing our portfolio of business become a more profitable model,” stated Bill Lovette, Pilgrim’s chief executive officer.
“Our pursuit of operational excellence has resulted in an improved safety record, significantly better than the industry average. We are reducing our turnover and measuring quality at every level of the organisation. Despite challenging environmental conditions, Mexico continues to outperform due to its effective business model and the versatility and value that chicken provides to consumers.”
Lovette explained, “We made significant steps on our strategy to strengthen our company and our balance sheet. Even with as much improvement as we have demonstrated to date, we believe there is still opportunity to stretch towards our vision of being the best managed and most respected company in the industry.”
