Davidsons Animal Feeds

Ruminant Feed Specialists
From small beginnings in 1969, and with a single, very simple, manually operated production line facility manufacturing a limited range of bulk only ruminant feeds, Davidsons have developed into a highly efficient manufacturer producing a full range of feeds to suit all classes of ruminants. Their customer base now extends to over 3,000 ruminant livestock farmers across Scotland and the north of England.

The company operates one of the most technologically advanced feed milling operations in Europe – a totally automated plant, using the latest equipment and control technology available in the market place, enabling the highest levels of efficiency and productivity in the industry:  orders are manufactured and delivered within 24 hours; over 40 different products can be manufactured each day; and more than 250,000 tonnes of feed is produced each year.

Feeding the future
Innovation is at the heart of this family-run business and this is key to Davidsons success as it continually strives to develop its products & services for customers. An additional, important focus for the company is energy efficiency to keep their carbon footprint to an absolute minimum.

The company is currently leading around 35 R&D projects and in March 2019 they welcomed their first KTP Associate, David Beattie, to deliver a 3-year funded research programme for new raw materials to be included in their feed, with academic input from the James Hutton Institute.

“R&D is central to developing Davidsons long-term strategic objective of clearly identifying areas where radical new ideas can improve our manufacturing, production and distribution capability and lead to ground breaking new products for our customers. This is achieved through direct research of our own and by working closely with others to find commercially viable practical solutions to these challenges. Our aim is to be a clear number one in our industry.”

David Beattie, KTP Associate, Davidsons.

Davidsons and CIEL
Davidsons joined CIEL as a Member late in 2017. CIEL’s network brings new capability within reach to further support the company’s R&D ambitions.

CIEL works with Davidsons, to help the feed business identify the right technologies, skills and capabilities available across the CIEL network to support trialling and commercialisation of these innovative R&D programmes.

“Davidsons is a very lean operation with a deserved reputation for service, reliability and quality. Their commitment to creating a bespoke and responsive service for their customers is evident from the investment made not only in their production facility, but also the people driving the business forward. Their focus on innovation and differentiation opens up great opportunities for collaborative programmes.”

Dr Mark Young, Head of Innovation, CIEL.

“We’re always brimming with ideas and CIEL can help provide feedback on project ideas, offer a steer for proposals, and bring us together with potential partners and new technical expertise & resource.”

William Davidson, Operations Director, Davidsons.