ACE has designed various services associated with agriculture ranging from field warehousing, collateral management, monitoring and inspection for securing the end to end trade flow. ACE recognizes the implicit need for traders to be represented at loading and discharge of vessels. Thus ACE set up a unique network of specialists and laboratories in major ports to ensure contractual terms were complied with. In time, ACE Certificates reflecting weight, number of bags and quality of the goods served as essential documents to trigger payment for the Buyer.

Analysis / Quality Assessment - Liquids
This operation is carried out, depending on the commodity involved, in factory or store, on quay, in the sampling room or in laboratories. ACE uses specialized laboratories worldwide with national and international accreditation. These interventions can cover every aspect of the contractual qualitative specifications and condition of the goods.

Quality analysis liquids can be performed on any liquid product ranging from petroleum products to edible oil.

Chemical Tests pH
Chemical tests are carried out to determine pH values. The pH values lie between 1 to 14. A pH value of 7 is neutral, values at less than 7 are acidic and those greater are alkaline. pH is much more sensitive in the neutral range than at the extremes.

Alkali and Urea Bisulphite Solubilities
During manufacture into yarns, fabrics and garments, wool may be subject to bleaching, dyeing and other processes, these modify the wool fibre structure. Some processes used may need to be severe or prolonged to obtain the desired result, the effect on the fibre could show weakening or discolouring of the wool fibres.
These test methods give an indication of the level of damage or modification to the fibres that might have occurred.

Cleanliness Inspection Liquids
Most commodities, particularly those in bulk, must be protected against contamination. Receiving ships' tanks, rail tank cars, trucks, containers and other transport or storage facilities ought to be thoroughly inspected for cleanliness or suitability prior to loading.

Cleanliness Inspections Fibres
This service applies to inspection of ships holds and tanks, containers, railway cars and trucks to ensure that the areas/units that are to carry the agricultural goods are free from any odour, foreign matter, dirt, cargo residues or pest infestation, and watertight and safe for the cargo transported.

The service is also applicable to land installations like warehouses, silos and tanks.

Cleanliness Inspections Grain
This service applies to inspection of ships holds and tanks, containers, railway cars and trucks to ensure that the areas/units that are to carry the agricultural goods are:

• free from any odour, foreign matter, dirt, cargo residues or pest infestation, and
• Watertight and safe for the cargo transported.

The service is also applicable to land installations like warehouses, silos and tanks.

Cleanliness Inspections Soft/Foods
This service applies to inspection of ships holds and tanks, containers, railway cars and trucks to ensure that the areas/units that are to carry the agricultural goods are:

• free from any odour, foreign matter, dirt, cargo residues or pest infestation, and
• Watertight and safe for the cargo transported.

The service is also applicable to land installations like warehouses, silos and tanks.

FOG / CC / FOQ Liquids
Under certain agreed terms and based on specific general conditions, ACE furnishes trade risk guarantees, mainly for weight and quality discrepancies. These services provide for reimbursement of shortages or quality differences ascertained between loading and discharge. Any combination of these services is available; our aim is to offer clients optimal tailor-made assistance within the framework of their commercial transactions.

Full Outturn Guarantee (FOG)
By guaranteeing the outturn weight of a consignment, ACE assumes the responsibility for weight differences between loading and discharge, ascertained in accordance with the customs of the port and/or contract terms recognised by ACE, and attributable to normal trade loss and/or errors in weighing, gauging and measuring and/or petty theft.

Comprehensive Cover (CC)
In addition to FOG, this guarantee also covers marine insurance (as well as war, strikes, riots and civil commotion insurance) placed on behalf and for account of the client with first class underwriters.

Full Outturn Quality (FOQ)
The idea of this guarantee is, as in the case of weight guarantee, to relieve clients of major trade risk and related worries. ACE assumes responsibility for discrepancies in quality between loading and discharge

FOG / CC Grains

FOG: Full Outturn Guarantee (Weight)
Accurate estimates of the risks customers run when trading are impossible. Due to natural shrinkage, unsuitable handling, or other causes, the weight of delivered goods cannot be known until after discharge. Using the appropriate weighing devices, ACE inspector establishes the true weight of the goods at loading and discharge. By undertaking this service, we assume liability for weight differences between loaded weight and discharge weight.
FOG can be provided in return for a pre-arranged ad valorem premium and can be adapted to suit client requirements.

CC: Comprehensive Cover
This service offers all the advantages of the FOG program plus the placing of marine insurance by ACE on behalf of the client.

FOG / CC Soft/Foods

FOG: Full Outturn Guarantee (Weight)
Accurate estimates of the risks customers run when trading are impossible. Due to natural shrinkage, unsuitable handling, or other causes, the weight of delivered goods cannot be known until after discharge. Using the appropriate weighing devices, ACE inspector establishes the true weight of the goods at loading and discharge. By undertaking this service, we assume liability for weight differences between loaded weight and discharge weight.
FOG can be provided in return for a pre-arranged ad valorem premium and can be adapted to suit client requirements.

CC: Comprehensive Cover
This service offers all the advantages of the FOG program plus the placing of marine insurance by ACE on behalf of the client.

Food & Feed Safety Grains
ACE provides certification services (HACCP, GMP, EUREP GAP, supplier audits) to all participants in the food/feed supply chain.  Such quality assurance schemes provide a pro-active approach for controlling risks in the entire supply chain.  They add trust and credibility to the business.

Some examples of certification services :

HACCP – Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
In the food industry any factor that is likely to jeopardise the safety of foodstuffs must be kept under strict control, hence the importance of implementing an HACCP-system.  The introduction of such a system involves a shift from end-product testing to preventive control of critical aspects of food production. Hence food manufacturers are given the opportunity to improve the production processes in a disciplined, systematic and ISO 9000 compatible way to ensure food safety.

GMP  - Good Manufacturing Practices
This refers to a series of agreements in a branch of sector in which a standard of conduct is laid down (usually with respect to food and feed safety)  the objective being to  safeguard the quality and safety of animal feed.

EurepGAP  -  Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group (Eurep) / Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
EurepGAP is a voluntary, open access, supply chain partnership established in 1996 to harmonise through independent verification, international disciplines covering production, storage and handling by growers, packers, distributors and retailers.  It provides a vital sounding board which allows the fresh food industry to engage in dialogue with national governments, the European Community and NGOs.

It is supported by Protocols which provide practical guidance for members and are in line with legislation as consumers demand greater levels of information of regarding traceability, food and feed safety, among others.
Grower organisations or individual growers receive EurepGAP Certificate as evidence of their having met a set of criteria.

Food & Feed Safety Soft/Foods
ACE provides certification services (HACCP, GMP, EUREP GAP, supplier audits) to all participants in the food/feed supply chain.  Such quality assurance schemes provide a pro-active approach for controlling risks in the entire supply chain.  They add trust and credibility to the business.

Some examples of certification services:

HACCP – Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
In the food industry any factor that is likely to jeopardise the safety of foodstuffs must be kept under strict control, hence the importance of implementing an HACCP-system.  The introduction of such a system involves a shift from end-product testing to preventive control of critical aspects of food production. Hence food manufacturers are given the opportunity to improve the production processes in a disciplined, systematic and ISO 9000 compatible way to ensure food safety.

GMP - Good Manufacturing Practices
This refers to a series of agreements in a branch of sector in which a standard of conduct is laid down (usually with respect to food and feed safety) the objective being to safeguard the quality and safety of animal feed.

EurepGAP - Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group (Eurep) / Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
EurepGAP is a voluntary, open access, supply chain partnership established in 1996 to harmonise through independent verification, international disciplines covering production, storage and handling by growers, packers, distributors and retailers.  It provides a vital sounding board which allows the fresh food industry to engage in dialogue with national governments, the European Community and NGOs.

It is supported by Protocols which provide practical guidance for members and are in line with legislation as consumers demand greater levels of information of regarding traceability, food and feed safety, among others.

IPP (Identity Preservation Programme) & Traceability Grain
This service responds to clients' demand for information regarding the nature and origin of food products. Concerns over GMOs (genetically modified organisms) led us to put in place a programme to trace the origins of soya and maize and to test goods at each critical point, from analyzing seeds for purity before they are sown, through to storage, transport and shipment. Non-GMO certificates show evidence that every step has been taken for delivering genuine and unadulterated goods.

Traceability is a way to retroactively detect where problems occurred in the supply chain. It entails keeping a record of relevant data for effectively tracing the commodity from the various production points to their destination.

Sampling Liquids
Proper drawing of samples is an "art" which cannot be underestimated in commodity trading. In many cases, samples drawn are submitted to laboratories for analyses and the results serve as a basis for the establishment of final accounts. In case of arbitration, the allowances to be made in compensation for discrepancies in quality or condition are fixed on the basis of samples. Sampling consequently requires exceptional professional skill and many years of experience, coupled with a thorough and intimate knowledge of commodities and their properties.

ACE Credit Support Services
ACE Credit Support Services consist of receiving physical commodities into storage and retaining control over them until ACE is instructed to release them in accordance with predetermined terms of agreement. Physical control is achieved by obtaining by having key and lock of the storage facilities and regulating technical aspects of the storage facilities in accordance with ACE procedures. Legal control of the storage facilities is secured through the execution of a lease agreement with the owner of the facilities or sublease with lessee of the storage facilities. Where goods are stored in warehouses owned by ACE, services offered is Collateral Management. Where ACE moves to the premises of the borrower, we provide Field Warehousing and Storage Services.

Field Warehousing and Storage Services
Field Warehousing and storage is essentially a method whereby a borrower’s trading assets are used as security at the borrower’s own premises for a loan. This is because of the control over those assets taken by a credit support company to act as a custodian of the goods on behalf of the lender: Field Warehousing is therefore a security device which enables the borrower to deliver to the lender legally valid documents of the title and to grant a possessively pledge of goods stored in the borrower's own plant, mill, refinery or warehouse.

Collateral Management Services
In cases where the goods to be pledged by the customer are already stored with an independent warehousing company, it is possible for a Field Warehouse to be set up. For this purpose an Agency Agreement is entered between the warehousing company and ACE whereby it agrees to act on behalf of ACE, in holding the pledged goods. Under its provisions the warehousing company undertakes to hold the goods solely to the order of ACE: ACE in exchange pays the warehousing company its charges. The effective control of the Field Warehouse remains with ACE: thus, ACE is responsible to the Bank in respect of consignments of goods being taken into the Field Warehouse and authorizes release of goods in accordance with the bank’s instructions.

ACE Collateral Management Services provide the banker with on-site physical and legal control of inventory stocks, which are pledged as the operator's collateral. ACE Collateral Management Services are designed to allow continuing relations with marginal or troubled operators, while retaining the flexibility to provide protection to the trader in the event of unanticipated increases in the operator's requirement for further funding. By having ACE Collateral Management Services to control and secure the pledge over the operator's inventory, the trader can customize the terms of its loan to support the operator's specific needs.

Under Collateral Management, a Warehouse or Silo operator will use its own warehouses and clients will deliver commodities for storage in such warehouses / silos.