Neil Clark, Technical Service Manager at Aviagen explains why locality is a vital part of customer support: "Of course in poultry breeding, proximity to customers and strong service often go hand in hand. The quicker chicks can be placed on a farm inside the critical first 24 hours, the better they will perform, it is why Aviagen has the largest footprint of any breeding company, we want to be as close to our customers as possible.

"In Russia, this has meant building a state-of-the-art hatchery at Yasnogorsk. And we have plans underway to increase this support infrastructure with new farms and a feed mill. By having our own dedicated buildings in Russia, we can ensure quality and biosecurity standards are not compromised.

"We have also carried on with our policy of local support for customers and providing unique access to global poultry experts. Part of our global support strategy, in Russia, we have taken a slightly different tack as we have gone from holding an annual meeting in central Russia to smaller, more 'hands-on' roadshows, which have a balance of theory and practical work and cut down the travel needed by customers. This is in addition to our regular mix of technical papers and information all in local languages plus our on-the-ground customer support team.

"These sessions are much more intimate and allow a more personal approach to training. The first event took place in Pyatgorsk on southern Russia and focused on biosecurity and nutrition as key topics. Two more sessions, one in the Tula region and Ekaterinburg, will be held later this year and early next year.

"Having said that, two other events which took place with our Russian customer were outside Russia! A group of Arbor Acres customers were given in-depth access to two broiler farms in the Netherlands where breeding and male management were top of the agenda. Secondly, Aviagen was delighted to host seven customers in Scotland which included a look at our research and development programme, followed by a discussion of new veterinary techniques that can be implemented. As a company, Aviagen is keen to hold regular events, it is a core commitment of our support teams but we always ensure the events are tailored for the customers and the local industry. That way we can ensure everyone gets the maximum for the meetings," said Mr Clark.