A.Bio. Article chronology 11 April 2013 – Il Sole 24 Ore
It is a niche, in which, however, Italy maintains a position of leadership worldwide: turnover exceeding 3.2 billion euros, with around 85% of production exported to more than 90 countries. The active pharmaceutical ingredients sector is a chemical sector in which the country is playing as a leader and for the moment seems to be keeping at arm's length the competition from competitors such as India or China which, especially at the beginning of the 2000s, had begun to cause great fear, focusing their competition in particular on production costs. «However, our sector is not labor intensive. The cost of labor does not affect more than 20 percent. It is easy to understand how we benefit from the fact that the game is played on skills and research», says Gian Mario Baccalini, president and managing director of Euticals, a leader in the sector, with 235 million euros in revenues, up on an annual basis by 10%, and 900 employees. In 2001, the company had a turnover of 15 million euros with 80 employees. In just over a decade, therefore, the turnover has soared and the Lodi company has made a leap in quality, also linked to the entry of investors: Fondo Clessidra, Mandarin Capital Partners, Private Equity Partners, Idea Capital, which together have 80% of the capital. "It was an important choice, this opening to funds - adds Baccalini - necessary to acquire critical mass".
An important element, the latter, which could become almost imperative in a sector in which two-thirds of companies have fewer than 100 employees (9,900 in all), the 88 manufacturing companies are mainly small and medium-sized, but the degree of openness abroad and investments are among the strengths. 3% of turnover is allocated to this area and – according to Aschimfarma, the association of pharmaceutical raw material manufacturers, a member of Federchimica – it can be estimated that the sector represents 10% of research and development expenditure of the total Italian chemical industry. However, never as in this case, with a production straddling chemical and pharmaceutical, the conditions of "usability" become decisive, as also specified by Daniele Cardoso, president of Infa Group, owns three plants, two in Italy, Labochim and Sifavitor, and one in Spain, Derivados Quimicos. “What we ask – he says – is to have adequate conditions to be able to work. In some ways, the country's system still doesn't help us». Despite everything, this sector is flexing its muscles and its strengths. «Italy – specifies Cardoso &ndash
