Tell us about SCHOTT tubing’s journey in India and its ongoing activities?
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| Sundeep Prabhu |
The international technology group Schott has been active in India since 1998. At that time, we acquired Bharat Glass (Jambusar) and started our pharma tubing business in India. Ever since, we’ve constantly enhanced our market share and consider ourselves as market leaders today. Our production facilities in India are the hub for supplies to the Asian region. To underline our claim of leading the market, we have launched FIOLAX Academy. The aim of this event series is to pass on knowledge about glass and containment to pharma companies.
Tell us about the glass technology you have developed. How is it shaping the company’s future? How many products are there in your kitty and how many are in the pipeline?
Within our pharma tubing unit, we develop, produce and deliver high-quality glass tubes. Our flagship is Schott Fiolax, a premium glass of the first hydrolytic class that complies with all international pharma regulations. Schott is able to manufacture a broad range of dimensions and thus tailor the product to the customers’ needs. We also offer an amber version for protection against ultra-violet rays and short-wave visible light. Fiolax has been on the market for over a century now and still sets worldwide standards. To enhance our portfolio, we have been developing new scientific services to help our customers to produce high-quality packaging for the pharma industry. With FIOLAX Academy our customers experience even further value from their business with Schott.
How is glass tubing for the pharma industry different from that of any other sector?
Not all glass is the same. Pharma companies and their partners along the value chain are obliged to highest diligence and quality. This particularly applies to the primary pharma packaging. Our customers require a comprehensive risk management. This applies to both, the constant quality of the product itself – the physical data and chemical resistance and composition must never vary – and a steady supply from several worldwide production sites, if necessary.
How big is the Indian glass tubing industry for pharma packaging? How rapidly is this market growing?
We see a fast-growing pharma market in India. This is for two reasons: On one hand, multinational companies use India as a manufacturing hub. On the other hand, local pharma companies are more and more compliant with international quality standards and therefore seek to increase their exports to western markets. Looking up the value chain, this also has positive effects on the packaging and tubing industry. Regarding the addressable market for Schott Pharma Tubing – high-end drugs and injectables – we expect a growth rate of five to six per cent per year.
Who are the leading players in this segment?
While preferring not to comment on our competitors, we can state that Schott definitely belongs to the leading players in the tubing segment in India.
Tell us more about Otto Schott Research Centre in Mainz’s glass research institute. How many scientists are linked to the Schott Research Centre and on which new technology are they working on?
More than 600 researchers and developers work in Schott’s R&D centers in Mainz and elsewhere. They concentrate on new and improved glasses and glass-ceramics, process development in the areas of melting and hot forming as well as coating technologies. The Group’s new product rate accounts for over 30 per cent of the annual sales.
What standardised parameters are required for glass tubing packaging and how able are you in meeting those standards?
In general, the glass tube must provide high hydrolytic resistance and low alkali content so that interactions between the glass and the drug can virtually be excluded. The key to Schott’s high-quality approach is that all our manufacturing sites meet the same high quality standards. These are consistently defined in our technical terms of supply. All plants have been certified according to ISO 9001. Further certification in accordance to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) are being rolled out.
What safety measures do you adopt for better stability and safety during shipment?
We attach great importance to a safe shipment. A scratch-resistant coating of the tubing and a patented packaging technology with shrink foil at both ends ensure utmost stability during transportation.
How many pharma companies are using Schott Tube and why? What is the USP of your products?
Literally all important multinational pharma companies use containers made out of Fiolax tubing. And it is quite comprehensible why Schott is one of the most preferred glass tube providers: proven accuracy over decades. The physical and dimensional consistency Schott has been providing enables converters to supply packaging solutions that offer an excellent performance on high-speed lines by ensuring low breakage risk and constant filling levels.
Presently, how many people are associated with Schott Pharmaceutical Tubing and do you plan to hire more in the future?
Worldwide about 1,700 employees work for Schott‘s business segment tubing, 300 of whom in India. Here, we operate our largest production site beside Germany.
How large is your international presence and do you have plans to explore any another geographies?
Strong international presence is another USP of Schott. India is one component of our flexible worldwide production network. In addition, we operate tubing factories in Germany, Spain, and Brazil. So we are already present on three continents and in an excellent position to reliably serve all important markets.
What are the company’s corporate plans for 2012-14?
One of our goals is to enable the upcoming Indian companies to produce high quality primary packaging that meet international standards. We will do this by our Fiolax product portfolio, combined with the scientific services and further Fiolax Academy events. This will help us to increase our market share in India even further.
