The Fresenius Kabi manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth creates a broad range of lifesaving medicines such as infusion solutions and intravenously (IV) administered drugs. Its products are used to help care for critically and chronically ill patients. This is a business that is people focussed and is looking to continue building its market share in Africa.
‘Caring for life’ is the corporate philosophy of global healthcare company, Fresenius Kabi. The company’s speciality is lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition and its products and services are used to help care for critically and chronically ill patients from all over the world.
The company’s roots stretch as far back as 1462 when the Hirsch Pharmacy was opened in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and eventually the Fresenius family assumed ownership in the 18thcentury. In 1912, Dr Eduard Fresenius formed a pharmaceutical manufacturing company that specialised in injection solutions, serologic reagents and Bormelin nasal ointment amongst other products, and in 1933, the manufacturing company was separated from the Hirsch Pharmacy and moved to Bad Homburg, just outside of Frankfurt. Over the next few decades the company grew exponentially and its product range, market place and employee base became larger and more diverse. In 1999, Fresenius Kabi as we know it today was born following the combination of the Fresenius Group’s Pharma division with the infusion solution business acquired from Pharmacia & Upjohn (Kabi). Following a number of important acquisitions, the company continued to grow around the world and today, Fresenius Kabi has operations across all continents and employs more than 33,000 people. In 2015 the company reported sales of more than €5.9 billion.
Opening in South Africa in 1999 as a sales and marketing operation based in Midrand, the company added an established manufacturing facility in Port Elizabeth to the portfolio in 2000, under the new name Bodene (Pty) Ltd. Fresenius Kabi Manufacturing South Africa (Pty) Ltd, as it is known today, came into being late in 2010.
Fresenius Kabi has enjoyed success thanks to its strategy of being close to its customers and supporting a decentralised production network.
Fresenius Kabi has many manufacturing facilities across the world and sales departments in many countries. The production site in Port Elizabeth is the only Fresenius Kabi manufacturing plant for pharmaceutical products in Africa. Plant Manager at the company’s manufacturing site in Port Elizabeth is Rémi Helmig.
PRODUCTS
One of the innovations from Fresenius Kabi, and one of its most important containers, is the Freeflex® infusion solution bag.
Freeflex® is an entirely PVC-free bag that shows improved drug compatibility compared to PVC bags and is easy to use and environmentally friendly.
Freeflex®bags are recognised globally and have won awards in France for innovation from leading independent hospital physicians and pharmacists.
Freeflex® is an IV bag of high quality using state-of-the-art, fully integrated manufacturing processes and consists of container sizes ranging from 50 ml up to 1000 ml. A strong resistant central hanger and high strength welded seam enables the Freeflex® bag to be used in combination with a pressure cuff device. The safe and simple reconstitution methods will avoid any airborne contamination, when used in conjunction with the Freeflex® reconstitution device. Freeflex®bags are easily identified and the infusion and injection ports are easy to open and have tamper evident break-off ports, that do not require additional cleaning before first use. Importantly, the bag also consists of a multi-layer polypropylene primarybag film, free of PVC, plasticizers, additives or latex, with excellent drug compatibility, low gas and water vapour permeability compared to PVC, high transparency, and sterilized at 121 °C. Due to a special design of the ports, leakage is prevented, even after the removal of the administration set.
The Fresenius Kabi manufacturing facility in Port Elizabeth focusses on Freeflex® manufacturing, along with production of other critical care products.
PEOPLE
On the African continent, the healthcare industry is not an easy one in which to operate. Valter Adão, Life Sciences and Healthcare Industry Leader at Deloitte said in the company’s 2015 healthcare industry outlook: “The public sector struggled to recruit and retain enough skilled medical staff.The government is pursuing bilateral and multilateral agreements aimed at discouraging other countries from ‘poaching’ South African health care workers. However, most countries – contending with their own staff shortages – have not been very responsive to these agreements.”
But despite the conditions Fresenius Kabi leads by example when it comes to sourcing and developing people who contribute a range of invaluable services to the country’s healthcare industry.
This focus on people development, and the number of staff employed in Port Elizabeth, means that Fresenius Kabi has become a major player in the local community. The company’s excellence is created by people – expert, knowledgeable and motivated employees. Supporting the further development of their staff is a key mission for them.
Overall, this is a company that is set for growth in South Africa and across the African continent. Achieving success like this during a difficult economic climate is something which has perplexed many but thanks to its nature, the company has managed to forge an excellent business model.