History

 

In 2008, Dr. Martin Gooch founded the Value Chain Management Centre (VCMC). He had led the development of successful funding, research and education programs, and with the assistance of seed funding provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Adaptation Council, VCMC became a division of the George Morris Centre in Guelph, Canada.

In March 2013 VCMC moved into a new direction.

Reflecting a growing recognition that value chain management is a distinct management strategy that increases the competitiveness and profitability of all businesses, regardless of the industry sector or country in which they operate, VCMC partnered with leading international experts to form the global advisory group Value Chain Management International (VCMI). VCMI’s head office is located in Oakville, Canada.

Value Chain Management International (VCMI) is dedicated to improving the profitability and competitiveness of commercial businesses through promoting and enabling the management of closely aligned value chains. VCMI helps businesses develop closer strategic relationships with customers and suppliers, resulting in their being able to learn and adapt more effectively and realize greater profits than if operating unilaterally.

VCMI’s global consulting team is located in Canada, Europe, and Australasia, and comprises world leaders in quality management, experiential management training, commercial-focused environmental sustainability, and value chain innovation. The team’s expertise in lean thinking, six sigma, sales processes, management systems, consumer research, and value chain analysis has resulted in highly measurable improved profitability for their clients in the agri-food, aeronautical, automotive, pharmaceutical, and service sectors.

A number of the commercially successful initiatives developed by the VCMI team have received international and domestic awards of excellence. They include:

  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s 2004 Excellence in Innovation Award (Trafalgar Brewing, Mead),
  • Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Award for 2005 (Pride Pak and Ontario Apple Marketing Group, Pre-Packed Sliced Apples),
  • SIAL award for the World’s Best New Fruit & Vegetable for 2002 (Perfection Fresh Australia, Grape Tomato),
  • Woolworths 2008 Produce Supplier of the Year (Houston Farms).

Other successes, such as the Loblaw Companies Limited and Vineland Growers’ Cooperative Platinum Peach Project, have received international media attention and continue to be featured at industry events.

The VCMI team’s work has been featured in such publications as:

  • Canadian Grocer
  • Food In Canada
  • International Journal of Value Chain Management
  • Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development
  • Journal of International Farm Management
  • Proceedings from the 1st International Conference on Value Chain Management (Springer Publications)
  • The Australian
  • The Grower
  • UK Farmers’ Weekly

VCMI has also been featured on Australian, Canadian, Chinese and UK television.