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Managing distributors, preparing for ISO9001 certification and establishing a loyal customer network: Breaking down the success of our longest-standing PSL Alliance member, Agrisera

Gabrielle Foster

May 11, 2023

Digital M 2

In a discussion with our longest standing PSL Alliance member, Agrisera, we uncovered the secrets to their success as a life science supplier.

Author: Gabrielle Foster

Gabrielle Foster

Agrisera is a provider of off-the-shelf antibodies for plant and algal research with reactivity to thousands of species. Their extensive list of antibodies is suitable for detection of plant cell compartments and photosystem I and II proteins. Since 2000, their products have been cited in thousands of publications and in June 2021, Agrisera received ISO 9001 certification.

We spoke to Agrisera about how they have evolved over the years as well as some of the challenges they have faced and explored some of the fundamental steps to their success as a company.

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Source: Agrisera.com

What has gone well for Agrisera?

Since Agrisera was founded in 1985, we have always worked in a very close collaboration with the nearby university and biotech companies. This has led to various projects and new product developments. We have always listened closely to our customers and their suggestions when growing our product catalogue. Parallel to this, Agrisera has established reliable methods for antibody production and purification, as well as for knowledge transfer within the organization. We have also been very lucky with our personnel, who is the core to our success; hard-working, dedicated, and eager to take on the various challenges we have faced over the years. We have gone from focusing on Sendai virus production, to providing poly- and monoclonal antibodies to researchers and biotech companies worldwide, establishing the first comprehensive plant antibody catalogue, and lately becoming a part of Olink, a leading force in protein biomarker discovery.

What difficulties have Agrisera overcome to get to where they are today?

Establishing a loyal customer network was an initial challenge, as well as learning how to develop a successful organization, where all divisions communicate and collaborate well.

Agrisera is: “Fast, collaborative and efficient” – as one of our customers said over 20 years ago and this is still a motto for our daily activities.

Preparing for ISO9001 certification

Agrisera hired a firm specialized in guiding companies in our sector through the ISO certification process, which was very helpful and involved a lot of people. We started with identifying the core process of what Agrisera does, as well as all its functions. Documentation and routines/methods were then reviewed, and some new systems were formed. We had a good foundation to start with, since proper documentation has been a key part of all our activities from the beginning.

Managing distributors

Agrisera’s distributor network, established over last 15 years, consists of over 40 companies in all corners of the world. We work very closely with our distributors, and provide them with well-prepared marketing materials, as well as regular online meetings and product training opportunities. Marketing materials and product lists are provided to distributors in advance, to allow them prompt transfer to their websites and sales organizations. We are very eager to have a dialog with our distributors, listen to their suggestions, and accommodate their requests. We value our distributor relationships highly, and over the years they have become quite personal.

What key elements do you think you had to put in place to then allow Agrisera to develop into the successful company it is today?

Exceptional, dedicated, and open-minded personnel, combined with a well-functioning organization that is constantly growing and improving, led us to where we are today.

Some of Agrisera’s most popular products include Compartment markers (plant and algal cells), Loading controls (plant and algal cells), Photosynthetic antibodies, HRP-labelled secondary antibodies and Tag antibodies (TurboID, GFP, HA, 3xHIS and more). Find out more about Agrisera.

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