We interviewed Santiago Cenoz, a Biological Sciences graduate with doctorate courses from the UPNA, over 20 years of experience in the sector, and currently the R&D&I Director at DFGRUPO.
What role does this department play in the Group?
TheDFGRUPO R&D&I Department is one of the main elements of the short and long-term value chain. Its activity is related to actions that enable the Group to minimise costs and increase the value of the products and services we offer our customers, setting us apart from our competitors.
The commitment of DFGRUPO to R&D&I is important.
Yes, of course, right from the time the Department was set up. New legislation, competitiveness in the fertiliser sector, and new requirements in terms of traceability and product safety mean that Groups such as ours must be prepared and have the necessary resources to meet current demands. DFGRUPOis an International Group and has always been aware of what this involves, supporting and investing in the necessary tools to be able to face new challenges in the different markets.
What services does our laboratory offer its customers?
The R&D&I department is responsible for stimulating innovation and ensuring technological and business progress within DFGRUPO. In order to meet these obligations, a series of work and services are generated that may be exclusive to the Group or can be made available to our customers or collaborators. Examples of services that we can outsource for our customers are:
- Advice on the documentation and registration of products generated as fertiliser mixtures, the raw materials of which originate from the Group. In this type of work, we can include technical data sheets, safety data sheets, labels, etc.
- Physical-chemical characterisation tests as a quality control of fertilisers. These tests reflect the behaviour of fertilisers over time during storage or handling.
- Assessment of the efficacy of different additives applied to fertilisers, such as inhibitors, biostimulants, and microorganisms, etc. These are very specific trials in which we can measure the direct action of the fertiliser and the additive on different model crops. For this, we have plant growth chambers available in which we establish stable growing conditions, such as humidity, temperature, and luminosity, etc.
- Fertiliser richness analysis for elements such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, which are necessary for the development of any crop. We use this type of analysis with internal control, and guarantee the traceability of our products with our customers.
In addition to these examples, we can develop specific and exclusive tests according to different needs.
How is the department structured?
There are 8 of us on staff. It is a multidisciplinary department, made up of biologists, agricultural engineers, chemists and laboratory technicians. There are two PhDs and four graduates.
This is the structure of the department, although there is a complementary “structure” to the department with which close ties or collaboration is required. This structure is made up of other teams, such as Industrial and Sales. The Industrial team, to be able to scale the developments started in the R&D&i department, and the sales team structure, to bring needs and opportunities from the market that help in the creativity and operations of the R&D&i department.
How important is R&D in the sector?
With the new regulations and environmental requirements, I would say it is essential. I have been in the sector for many years, and from the 1980s until the beginning of 2000, very few fertiliser companies had an R&D&I department, only large groups with sales networks that defended highly technical products. But for some years now, companies in the sector that do not have an R&D&I department, with all that it entails, even for environmental issues, find it very difficult to exist. The market and the conditions and requirements for the sale of products mean that a technical department that is constantly being renewed is essential.
What does this translate into?
This translates into competitiveness, solidity and security in the market. Today’s companies need the support of experts who have mastered a series of lines of research in order to be able to make decisions with confidence and to be able to assess the advantages and disadvantages of new market challenges.
What is the most exciting project you are working on?
I think we have to be enthusiastic about all the projects we take on. Sometimes, the simplest project is the one that brings the best benefits to the company. And the greatest satisfaction for all of us is to generate a new product, technical solution or process improvement that helps our results.
We have several fronts open at present, but to give just a few examples:
- A line of work with additives to control nitrogen losses in fertilisers (known as inhibitors).
- Work related to the quality of our granulated product SASG3, in close collaboration with the Group’s entire industrial team.
- The registration of a biostimulant under the new European regulations.
Current and future lines of research in the laboratory.
Present lines include two main dossiers:
- Inhibitors. We are able to formulate and test the efficacy of different inhibitors.
- Biostimulants. In addition to the first registration of a biostimulant, we have an extensive dossier produced in collaboration with a University and a Technology Centre of a formulation with very promising effects as a biostimulant.
For future lines, I see working with micro-organisms or their active metabolites. We have been working on micro-organisms for several years, and I think the next step is to work on biofactories of micro-organisms that synthesise beneficial substances for crops.
How do you see the future of the department?
With a great deal of enthusiasm and strength in the Group. I must point out that it made up of a young, talented team, great professionals who will go far in the sector. For my part, I hope to strengthen this team and respond to the Group’s needs at all times. We must not forget that the R&D&I team is a necessary tool for the Group to meet its goals, and that we all need each other in this increasingly technical and competitive market.
Corporatisation of the laboratory
Taking advantage of this news, we would like to show you the result of the corporatisation of the new DFGRUPO laboratory facilities, located on the Noáin-Esquíroz Industrial Estate in Navarra.
Walls, paintings, meeting rooms… the best way to generate affinity among the companies that form part of the Group and to bring their corporate identity closer to the people and places where they are present.
