The change further streamlines the division's coordination of product development, manufacturing and sales for its Chore-Time, Laake, Mannebeck and Porcon pig equipment brands.

Sales and marketing activities for PigTek will be coordinated by Chris Long and Paul Smits. Product development efforts will be shared by Harry R. Van Horn II, Bernard Laake and Friedrich Nordbeck.

Long is based in the United States and will have worldwide responsibility for promoting and selling Chore-Time hog products as well as marketing Mannebeck electronic sow feeding systems in the United States, Canada and Latin America. He will also be responsible for strategic planning, along with other key members of the business unit's senior management. A 24-year veteran with CTB, Long has considerable experience in sales channel management, direct sales and marketing.

Based in Europe, Smits will oversee the promotion and sales of Porcon, Laake and Mannebeck product brands in that region. He will also be responsible for European strategic planning and implementation of major initiatives for the company as well as providing management oversight for the Inside Project Group, also based in Europe. He has been employed with CTB for 13 years with experience in product engineering and marketing management.

In the product development area, Van Horn is based in the United States while Nordbeck and Bernard Laake are based in Europe. Van Horn has 15 years of experience with the pig industry, and Nordbeck and Laake have 20 and 27 years respectively.

“These changes represent our vision of how best to serve pig producers today and in the future,” business unit manager George Murdoch stated, adding, “While the PigTek name may be relatively new to the industry, the collection of well-known brands it comprises offers a combined total of over 200 years of success in the pig production industry.”

Murdoch also noted that the PigTek business unit will intensify its collaboration for greater efficiency in manufacturing, customer fulfillment, logistics and technical service at its four primary manufacturing locations: Milford, Indiana, USA; Deurne, the Netherlands; and Herzlake and Schüttorf, Germany.

“The continued refinement of our consolidated business unit structure allows us to better focus our product efforts on the needs of customers in every region of the world,” Murdoch continued. “With the refined PigTek organizational structure, we can progress in our goal of thinking globally and acting locally when it comes to products and service. The changes we have made will allow us to offer a broad spectrum of innovative equipment solutions and professional expertise to our customers in various parts of the world with the best support and true value.”