Expert Statement: Thorsten Harke President, Harke Group
CHEManager asked executives and industry experts to share their views on the prospects for the chemical distribution sector.
Chemistry
M&A Activity in the Chemical Distribution Industry
Mergers & acquisitions activity in the chemical distribution industry was high in 2021, but current macro-economic conditions may have a dampening effect on the number of deals that will conclude by the end of this year.
Shaping the Future of the Pharma Industry
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) announced the 2022 Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) Category Winners – including an Honorable Mention for Iovance Biotherapeutics, to be the first company in the world to commercially produce a personalized therapy for solid tumors.
Dealing with Price Volatility
It sometimes seems that everyone running a business always thinks that times are tougher now than they used to be. For producers — and buyers — of commodity chemicals, this thinking will take the more specific form of concerns about increased price volatility.
Where Science Meets Business
From its inception in 1881, SCI's principal objective has been to further the application of chemistry and related sciences into industry for the public benefit.
The Supply Chain Dilemma
Since the middle of the 1980s, the supply chain of many chemicals has moved east. This was primarily driven by cheaper production costs in China or India, due to lower raw material prices, a cheaper asset base compared to plants in the West, and lower environmental and regulatory standards.
Expanding Into Oligonucleotides
The global market for oligonucleotide therapeutics is expanding rapidly. Bachem, an innovation-driven company based in Bubendorf, Switzerland, has entered this competitive environment a few years ago and meanwhile has passed certain milestones on its way to become a preferred oligonucleotide manufacturing partner for pharmaceutical companies.
Foreign Management in China Should Know the Turf
Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the chemical industry and other industries have achieved rapid growth in the past years and are contributing to China’s economic development.
Making Demanding Applications Bio-Based
Biovox was founded in 2020 to enable more sustainability through renewable bioplastics even in difficult applications such as consumables in healthcare or machine parts.
Bioscience Trends in China’s New Five-Year Plan
China’s 14th Five-Year Plan “145” suggests that the dynamics initiated by the previous Five-Year Plan are to be maintained and even surpassed. As in the previous planning period, high priority is given to modernizing the country and the economy through R&D.
Selecting the Right European Location for Life Sciences Activities
Agile and resilient: This is how manufacturers in the life sciences industry could be described during the Covid-19 pandemic. As disruption took hold in many other industries’ supply chains, life sciences companies moved to rapidly develop new products and build new capacity. They are maintaining this momentum, with pharmaceutical and biotech businesses showing continued interest in expanding existing operations in Europe or starting operations from scratch.
The Future of Biopharma
Porsche Consulting presents a vision of a high-end smart biopharmaceutical production unit and a corresponding operating model.
Working with Data Instead of Documents
Cloud-based web applications offer substantial benefits for the digital transformation of the chemical industry.
Fine Chemicals in China
Fu Xiangsheng, Vice Chairman of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, characterized China`s chemical industry as having a a surplus of basic chemicals and a shortage of functional chemicals. Indeed, the share of fine chemicals as a percentage of the total industry value is only about 45% compared to 60-70% in the US and in many European countries, and 90% in Switzerland. Thus, the Chinese government is interested in supporting the development of local fine chemicals production.
Mergers & Acquisitions Are an Integral Strategic Component
In the drive to reach growth objectives, or to maintain and enhance “critical mass”, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) has been a theme for the chemical distribution industry for years. The industry leaders (by size and geographic reach) were all built through a series of such transactions. The practice is further trickling down to the smaller and mid-sized company layer of the sector, and more distributors espouse external growth options.
Small, Modular Flow Plants
In 2020, the weakness associated with global chemical supply chains was highlighted in a dramatic manner as Covid-19 was designated a global pandemic. As a result, small modular continuous flow plants are gaining attention as an appropriate solution to secure supply chains whilst ensuring safe, sustainable processes are implemented.
Sustainable Synthesis of Biochemicals
When Circa was founded in 2006, the company’s aim was to convert non-food cellulose into high-performance, renewable chemicals, at scale — extracting value from waste biomass and addressing a gap in the market for better, more sustainable materials.
Is the Beauty Industry Sending the Wrong Message?
As gender and diversity, as well as the body positivity movement, become more and more prevalent among young consumers, beauty companies are finding that they are going to have to re-define how products are advertised if they want to stay relevant.
Solution Partner on the Road to Success
Yiğitoğlu, the family-run Turkish chemical manufacturing, distribution and logistics services group that started commercial activities in 1956, has set out to expand its geographic footprint.
Integrating Science and Creativity
Dago Caceres, Global Strategy Manager for Pharma Solutions at IFF, talks about the new IFF and the strategy ahead for the pharmaceutical division in particular.
M&A Activity Will Continue, No Doubt!
Analysis of the mergers & acquisitions activity in chemical distribution under the impression of the pandemic situation and how it might develop going forward.
The Age of Sustainability
In a nutshell, reaching sustainability has become a key aspect for chemical companies and adjacent businesses along the product chain with a high entry hurdle for everyone.
Innovation and Creativity in the Pharmaceutical Industry
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) announced the 2021 Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) Category Winners—including two winners of Special Recognition Awards for Operational Agility: Covid-19 Impact.
Pharma 4.0: Smart Manufacturing
Marcus Michel, CEO of ACG Engineering, analyzes market trends in pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing.
Streamlining the Path to Peptide Market Supply
Interview with Michael Postlethwaite, Senior Director, Sales & Business Development, European Territories, AmbioPharm
Advancing Scientific Breakthroughs
Interview with Christophe Couturier and Claudia Berrón, Avantor
Recycled and Carbon-neutral Precious Metals
Over the years, sustainability has evolved from an aspirational goal to an operational priority. Companies in every industry are being asked to incorporate more environmental stewardship into their operations and business practices.
Innovation is the Driver to Delivering Value
Michael Reubold talked to Evonik’s Sanjeev Taneja about the role of catalysts in the company and their value to the industry and the society.
Expanding Into Oligonucleotides
The global market for oligonucleotide therapeutics is expanding rapidly. Bachem, an innovation-driven company based in Bubendorf, Switzerland, has entered this competitive environment in 2019.
High Quality and Flexibility for Pharmaceutical Customers
WeylChem’s Custom Manufacturing division has a strong record of accomplishments operating in markets such as Pharma, Agro and Pigments.
A Virtual Formulation Assistant
BASF has created ZoomLab, a virtual formulation prediction and optimization tool, to help address the challenges of drug product development.
Challenges Facing Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Sean Diver, president of DCAT speaks about the pharmaceutical industry’s role during the Covid-19 pandemic, trends in drug manufacturing, and key issues for the EU pharmaceutical industry.
Understanding the Requirements of Safe HPAPI Manufacturing
The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly focused on the development of specialized drug products with new treatment modalities, including previously undruggable targets for oncology and other areas.
The Rise of HPAPI Molecules
For biopharma leaders it is more critical than ever to secure the capabilities to contain, handle, develop and manufacture highly potent APIs.
The Impact of Covid-19 on the Pharmaceutical Industry
Andrew Badrot, CEO of C2 Pharma and a close observer of pharma industry trends, analyzes the current situation and how this pandemic may kick of changes in the pharma market.
