Diverse event
Refocusing on
togetherness and collaboration
We staged the KWS Seeding Days for the first time with the goal of discussing current challenges and potential with our suppliers.
Peter Hagenow
Eva Kienle
Verena Marx
Successful event: Peter Hagenow, Eva Kienle and Verena Marx moderated our Seeding Days alongside many other colleagues.
Bringing our most strategically important service providers together in one place – that was a first for KWS. A total of more than 200 participants, including over 150 international partners from 12 countries, accepted the invitation to Einbeck.
“We’ve noticed that many issues are now rearing their head: external factors such as the new Supply Chain Act, but also everything to do with sustainability and carbon management,” explained Peter Hagenow, Head of Expert Hubs Procurement, who organized the event. “Instead of just notifying our most strategically important partners, we opted for this format in order to provide information and also discuss matters in really in-depth detail – so as promote even better collaboration moving forward.”
The event, which was sponsored by Eva Kienle, was therefore held under the slogan “Seeding Success: Agility, Risk Mitigation and Sustainability in Partnerships with KWS.” In addition to presentations on our strategic planning, innovations at KWS and sustainability, the focus was therefore also on in-depth workshops, such as on the subject of decarbonization with the aid of digital applications. That is because we depend on a digital tool set as part of future monitoring of our suppliers, such as support in the form of AI. Software could then identify what the carbon footprint is in a certain process or at a supplier. If the supplier changes something that has an impact on carbon emissions, the software can record that immediately and report it to us.
“We want to collaborate even better moving forward.”
Peter Hagenow
Fertile dialog
“We wanted to talk openly about our goals and challenges and see how our suppliers can provide us with strategic support in addressing them,” says Verena Marx from the Expert Hub Procurement team. “Frank dialog is always fertile in order to see what else the service providers have in their portfolio that will help us achieve our goals.”
We at KWS currently have a large number of suppliers in the system, which makes monitoring compliance with sustainability targets enormously difficult. This range is therefore to be streamlined and the future selection process tightened up. We will then work together with strategically important suppliers, especially on carbon management, because we want to become carbon-neutral at KWS by 2050. We also need to raise farmers’ awareness of issues such as the new Supply Chain Act.“We also wanted to raise attention of the topic internally, which is why the event was open to all colleagues,” says Peter Hagenow. “We want to expand this means of enhancing awareness and understanding of the issues we are currently dealing with and, if possible, inform even more stakeholders.”
Over 200 participants came together in Einbeck and shared ideas on the issues of sustainability, the new Supply Chain Act and carbon management. The event featured presentations, panel talks, get-togethers and workshops.
Further event conceivable
In order to meet the challenges described above, the team has completely revised the Procurement Guideline. The current version includes new points on the topics of the Supply Chain Act, carbon neutrality and process optimization. In addition, the thresholds at which ExH Procurement must be involved have been increased from €10,000 to €25,000 to ensure that these strategic subject areas can be dealt with even better in the future.
The procurement team can well imagine a further event, possibly on a smaller scale in North America. The Seeding Days could then also be used to reach suppliers and raise their awareness of the European Supply Chain Act. |
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
