Lonza Group
Lonza Group AG is a Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Basel.
History
1897 were founded in Gampel Lonza electricity plants in the canton of Valais, which was named after the name of the current flowing from the river Loetschental. With the generated electricity first calcium carbide and acetylene were produced. 1909 the company moved to Visp, where you first produced fertilizers. 1920 succeeded in entering the ketene and Diketengeschäft, a field in which Lonza is still active today. 1950, the company entered into business with niacin (vitamin B3). A separate naphtha cracker - with 30,000 tons per year acetylene one of the smallest crackers in the world - went into operation in 1965 in Visp. In 1969 the company expanded to the U.S. market. Until the 1990s, the chemical industry has been a mainstay of the city. In Waldshut existed until 1990, the former Lonza plant, which in the 1950s up to 16,000 people employed at his weddings, here's a commercial park has been created.
Lonza in 1974 was taken over by Alusuisse and formed in the following years as a subsidiary of Alusuisse Group whose Chemical Division. With the restructuring of Alusuisse into a holding company was formed in May 1990, the Alusuisse -Lonza Holding AG. In 1992, the acquisition of a production site in Kourim in the Czech Republic, 1997, the expansion into China.
The visible reorientation of the group began in April 1998 with a name change to " Alusuisse Lonza Group AG » ( algroup ). On 11 August 1999, the Board announced its intention to spin off wanting Lonza divisions chemistry and energy again to perform a three-way merger of Alcan and Pechiney algroup with, in which only the divisions aluminum and packaging should be introduced. On 18 October 1999, the proposed spin-off of an Extraordinary General Meeting was approved, and already on the next 1 November became independent Lonza Group AG, headquartered in Zurich went to the stock exchange. The former parent company Alusuisse Lonza Group AG underscored the former reference to Lonza only in June 2000 from its name. In April 2002, the corporate headquarters of Lonza Group of Zurich was transferred to the Group's operating headquarters to Basel.
In 2006, Lonza brought the business, " Polymer Intermediates » on the Milan Stock Exchange, which has since been trading under the name " polynt SpA " based in Italy. The Lonza Group today holds a minority shareholding in polynt more. A portion of the proceeds of this IPO went into the purchase of Biotechniksparten U.S. biotech company Cambrex, with 460 million U.S. dollars. This Geschäftbreiche were integrated into the Lonza Biopharmaceuticals or as a new sector, " Bioscience " in the Group's business. In 2011 took place with the purchase of the U.S. Biozidherstellers Arch Chemicals for around 1.6 billion Swiss francs, the largest acquisition in the company's history. Since October 2011, Lonza is also listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange and is the first on the Swiss Exchange -listed company with a secondary listing in Singapore.
Business
For business of Lonza also includes production and support of active pharmaceutical ingredients and Microbial Control business. Their activities also include the areas of water treatment, personal care, health and hygiene, industrial preservation, materials protection, and wood treatment and the cell- based research, endotoxin detection and the manufacture of products for cell therapy.
Key figures and locations
Lonza Group has its headquarters in Basel and is listed on the Swiss Exchange SIX Swiss Exchange since November 1999. The oldest and largest R & D and production base with today 2,800 employees located in Visp in the canton of Valais and is part of the Group's subsidiary 'Lonza AG ».
The company generated 2011 sales of 3.925 billion Swiss francs (previous year CHF 2.692 billion ) and a net profit of 335 million francs (previous year CHF 261 million ). The group employed by the end of 2012 10789 employees (previous year: 11,000 employees ) spread over 45 worldwide manufacturing, research and development sites.
Divisions
Include The divisions of Lonza
- Lonza Life Science Ingredients, LSI (food and feed additives to promote health to complex chemical precursors for agriculture)
- Lonza Microbial Control, LMC ( chemicals used to destroy or to selectively inhibit the growth of microorganisms)
- Lonza Custom Manufacturing, LCM (production of ingredients that come into important drugs for the treatment of patients with heart and vascular diseases, cancer, neurological disorders and infectious diseases on the application )
- Lonza Bioscience, LBS ( build devices that are used by life sciences customers to discover, develop, manufacture and testing of therapeutic products )
Biocides
The LMC division manufactures biocides DMDM hydantoin, iodocarb, benzisothiazolinone (BIT ), Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and chloromethylisothiazolinone ( CMIT ).
Strategy
With the start of the CEO Stefan Borgas in 2004, Lonza developed towards the life sciences with a strong emphasis on biotechnology and custom synthesis for the pharmaceutical sector. Almost all acquisitions for 2006-2008 included biotech companies as well as in the field of Feed / Food and Nutrition. As a result of this new focus on life sciences and the classical chemistry of the division " fine chemicals " a realignment is to be subjected. Here is a greater focus on nutrition, agro and hygiene are achieved. In this strategy also fits the independence of the division, " Polymer Intermediates " in 2006. The year 2007 was characterized by a consolidation of the costs incurred in the prior year acquisitions. In 2008, the consolidation Lonza continued, flanked by small and medium-sized acquisitions, such as the German amaxa.
End of 2009, the Board announced three locations in the U.S. and UK to close. This affects approximately 170 employees. Towards the end of 2010, the cost-cutting program ran out of what should have led to savings in the high double- digit millions. With the purchase of Arch Chemicals in October 2011, Lonza has expanded its portfolio. In January 2012, Lonza CEO Stefan Borgas parted from after the net profit for 2011 was not fulfilled almost halved and Borgas expectations. Since May 1, 2012 Richard Ridinger is the new CEO of Lonza.
Lonza skyscraper
The 68 meter high Lonza home of Hans Rudolf and Otto Suter from 1962 is a striking high-rise building in Basel and is often compared with the Milan Pirelli building. For reference time point, the skyscraper was the tallest of Basel. The sober, delicate facade of the house earned him the nickname razor.