ABS® Global Inc., a division of Genus plc, recently became the sole owner of In Vitro Brasil S.A. (IVB®). In 2015, ABS purchased 51 percent of the company focused on in vitro fertilization (IVF) of bovine embryos.
The negotiation of the remaining shares was expected to take place in 2018, but was completed on March 31.
ABS and IVB have formed a strong and effective partnership,” says Nate Zwald, Chief Operating Officer, ABS Global. “With IVB as a full part of the Genus family, we can advise and help customers around with world with genetic improvement on both the male and female sides of their herd.”
ABS Global is the world’s leader in bovine genetics, reproduction services and artificial insemination technology, with operations in more than 70 countries. Based in Brazil, IVB operates in 17 countries, including the United States, Colombia, Mexico, Mozambique, and Russia. José Henrique F. Pontes, IVB founder and CEO, will continue overseeing the company within ABS.
“It has been an excellent opportunity for all of IVB to work and learn from ABS colleagues in different countries,” Pontes adds. “The synergy has been quite intense and is already yielding fruit in places and markets never reached before by IVB. We have already achieved results greater than expected, which helped complete the final purchase a year earlier than planned.”
For Ricardo Campos, Director, ABS Latin America, the incorporation of IVB has been a key in ABS’s growth last year. “We were able to build a value proposition based on genetic improvement in combination with our services and programs,” he explains. “This acquisition will allow us to accelerate our expansion plans to use IVF technology to additional countries.”
Growth of IVB has been steady over the past year. For example, in June 2016 an IVB laboratory in Mexico was inaugurated. This in turn allows for the entry of IVB NEO to Mexico. Through the partnership, teams have also developed ground-breaking new products, such as ABS NEO (frozen embryos combining elite male and female genetics) and IVB NEO (fresh or frozen embryos with genetic improvement tailored to a customer’s needs).