What it does: Agriculture & Farming
Mission: We treat customers with respect and provide solutions to their problems; improving or adding to our internal processes, systems and products to offer more. We achieve customer satisfaction by striving for customer excellence.
Size and presence: Around 200 globally
Best known for: CSBP Fertilisers has the widest range of high-quality, reliable Cropping, Pasture & Horticulture fertilisers developed specifically for WA soils
The good bits: Part of Wesfarmers and has good leadership overall
The not so good bits: Legacy thinking prevalent in their management and long-timers
CSBP has its origins in Cuming Smith & Co., which in 1910 began making fertilisers at Bassendean, Western Australia, under the "Florida" brand name. It was the first company in Australia to manufacture superphosphate.
In 1927, Cuming Smith and two other firms – Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company and Westralian Farmers Superphosphates – established a new joint venture, Cuming Smith Mount Lyell Farmers Fertiliser Limited (known as CSML). Each company held a one-third share. The establishment of CSML came at a time when the agricultural sector in Western Australia was rapidly expanding. With a capacity output of 240,000 tonnes per year, the company produced almost all of the superphosphate used in WA – a total of 1,925,000 tonnes in its first 20 years of operation.
CSML commissioned new plants in Bunbury and Geraldton in 1930, in order to reduce the distribution distance for their products. A plant in Albany was commissioned in 1954, and at the same time CSML and Cresco Fertilisers (a South Australian firm) formed a new joint venture, the Albany Superphosphate Company. Albany Superphosphate operated both in Albany and in Esperance, where a plant was established in 1962.
In 1963, Boral purchased Mount Lyell's share in CSML. They onsold their share to BP the following year, and CSML was consequently renamed Cuming Smith British Petroleum and Farmers Limited (CSBP).
CSBP commissioned superphosphate and sulphuric acid plants in Kwinana in 1967. The Kwinana Nitrogen Company was established the following year, as a joint venture between CSBP (20 percent) and BP (80 percent). In 1970, CSBP also took over its main rival, Cresco Fertilisers. As a result of these changes, the company's plants in Bassendean and North Fremantle ceased operations in 1971. Three additional plants in Kwinana were commissioned in the 1970s.
In October 1977, Westralian Farmers (now Wesfarmers) launched a takeover bid for CSBP, valuing the company at $60 million – three times what Westralian Farmers itself was valued at. Driven by John Bennison, the deal did not go through until September 1979, after two years of protracted negotiations. At the time, it was the largest corporate takeover in Australian history.
During the 1980s, CSBP began to increase its emphasis on industrial chemicals. In 1986, Wesfarmers acquired BP's one-third shared in CSBP, becoming the sole owner. The following year, they also bought out BP's share in the Kwinana Nitrogen Company. In 1988, CSBP formed Australian Gold Reagents Limited (AGR) as a joint venture with Coogee Chemicals and the Australian Industry Development Corporation (AIDC). AIDC withdrew in 1997, leaving CSBP with a 75 percent share. CSBP began trading as Wesfarmers CSBP in 1995, but in 2003 became just CSBP Limited.
At CSBP, we aspire to be reliable, delivering on our promises; and to be the best, by putting growers at the heart of everything we do.
We will act with honesty and truthfulness, treating people fairly and equally without bias or prejudice. We will act ethically in all dealings, respecting others and the law. We will be part of the team, seeking and sharing ideas, knowledge and experience. We will work with others for better outcomes, be inclusive by accepting and valuing the diversity of people in the workplace; and share success with others.
We will always seek and implement better ways to do things for our customers. We treat customers with respect and provide solutions to their problems; improving or adding to our internal processes, systems and products to offer more. We achieve customer satisfaction by striving for customer excellence.
We will take the initiative to solve problems, take ownership, deliver and lead by example. We do things safely, and we do things right. We embrace change to continue to provide a satisfactory return to shareholders.
At CSBP, we are committed to discovery. For over 100 years, we’ve stood alongside Western Australian farmers, helping to discover more ways to turn ‘what ifs’ into ‘that’s it.’
As part of the Wesfarmers Group, we are able to provide you with the benefits and opportunities that come from being part of one of Australia’s largest listed companies. We are proud to provide a learning environment that never ends.
Above all, we recognise your input and contribution to our team. We are proud to work together to create new opportunities for our customers and communities, and strive to discover more, every day.
Some of the development opportunities you can look forward to include:
In addition to ongoing professional development, we also offer a range of employee benefits.
The average salary for CSBP employees in Australia is AU$105459 per year.