Cargill could do better, declares chief as he prepares shake-up
Cargill, one of the largest suppliers of agricultural products and foods, is looking to raise its game after several years of disappointing results, according to its new chief executive.
全球最大农产品和食品供应商之一嘉吉(Cargill)新任首席执行官表示，在经历了数年令人失望的业绩后，该公司希望提高自己的表现。
“Our performance over the last several years is not meeting my expectations or the expectations of the leadership team,” David MacLennan told the Financial Times. “I think we can perform better, and I believe we will perform better.”
“过去几年我们的表现没有达到我或者公司领导团队的预期，”戴维•麦克伦南(David MacLennan)告诉英国《金融时报》，“我认为，我们能够有更好的表现，我相信我们将表现得更好。”
Steps had been taken to make the nearly-150-year-old group, with interests ranging from Canada grain silos to China chicken farms, more agile and decisive, he said in an interview.
他在接受采访时表示，该公司已采取步骤，力求让这家有着近150年历史的公司变得更灵活和更有决断力。从加拿大的粮仓到中国的养鸡场，该公司的资产范围非常广泛。
Mr MacLennan, 54, said the company, with more than 140,000 employees in 67 countries, needed to “move faster” and “take appropriate risks”. It plans to cut costs such as on back-office services, and to offshore jobs.
现年54岁的麦克伦南表示，该公司需要“更为迅速地采取措施”并“承担适度风险”。该公司在67个国家开展业务，员工总数超过14万人。该公司计划削减后台办公室服务等领域的成本，并将一部分职位外包至海外。
Cargill would scrap businesses where it had a small presence and invest “where we could be an industry leader”, Mr MacLennan said.
麦克伦南表示，嘉吉将剥离其地盘较小的业务，并投资于“我们能够成为行业领袖的领域”。
Cargill leads a small group of companies that dominate flows of agricultural commodities. Its annual revenues of more than $135bn are equivalent to AT&T’s. As one of the biggest privately owned groups, it seldom makes public more than summary comments on its financial performance.
在主宰农业大宗商品流动的为数不多的公司中，嘉吉名列前茅。其年收入超过1350亿美元，堪比美国电话电报公司(AT&T)。作为全球最大私有企业之一，除了有关财务表现的摘要言论外，嘉吉很少公开信息。
A net profit of $1.45bn in the first nine months of its current fiscal year was its second lowest for the period in the past eight years.
当前财年的头9个月，该公司净利润为14.5亿美元，在过去8年同期业绩中排名倒数第二。
Profit margins, measured by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation as a percentage of revenue, have declined to 5 per cent from 7 per cent five years ago.
根据息税折旧及摊销前利润(EBITDA)占收入的比例计算，嘉吉的利润率已从5年前的7%下滑至5%。
Rivals such as Archer Daniels Midland , Bunge and Wilmar have also reported soft results despite record crops and demand in emerging economies.
尽管农产量以及新兴经济体的需求达到创纪录水平，但阿彻丹尼尔斯米德兰(Archer Daniels Midland)、邦吉(Bunge)以及丰益(Wilmar)等竞争对手也报出疲弱业绩。
Mr MacLennan – a company veteran and son of a former Cargill grain merchant – replaced Greg Page, who became executive chairman. About 100 descendants of founder William Wallace Cargill own about 90 per cent of common stock.
麦克伦南接替格雷格•佩奇(Greg Page)成为嘉吉首席执行官，后者担任执行董事长。麦克伦南在嘉吉任职多年，是嘉吉一位前粮商的儿子。嘉吉创始人威廉•华莱士•嘉吉(William Wallace Cargill)的约100名后裔拥有该公司普通股的90%左右。
While Cargill’s profits grew steadily until the financial crisis, they have been uneven since, swinging from $1.2bn in 2012 to $2.3bn last year.
尽管嘉吉的利润在金融危机之前稳步上涨，但在金融危机爆发后一直表现不稳定，2012年为12亿美元，去年则升至23亿美元。(FT)
