INTERVIEW Flamma were recognized with the “Panda d’Oro Turnaround Award” in June 2024. What challenges did the company address and overcome to earn this recognition? Flamma has been present in the Chinese market from more than 20 years. Initially, Flamma attempted to be part of a joint venture but quickly learned that this was not going to be successful in the long run. The decision to pivot to having a fully owned company drove our success in China. We were able to install the Flamma mindset and lead the company towards our goal without obstructions. We were able to put in place a strong management team while at the same time, continuously invest and develop new products. Flamma is highly regarded by the local authorities but, more importantly, by our customers. Since 2012, we increased our turnover by 30x and now have almost 400 employees. Our new facility will be fully operational in May which will double our capacity to 400 m2. We have further room for expansion that we will consider over the coming years. Nonetheless, this expansion will allow us to increase these figures by 50% in the next three years. Why do you think Flamma continues to be a CDMO that is sought after as a partner of choice for many biotech and pharmaceutical companies regardless of size? When the CDMO industry began to be consolidated several years ago, it became clear that some CDMOs, under their new leadership, decided to operate under a product-driven management style. The days of a service-driven approach soon disappeared for many. While many CDMOs prioritize transactions over relationships, Flamma remains committed to building strong, long-term partnerships with its customers. Although focusing on project volume may drive short-term revenue, true success comes from delivering the dedicated service, collaboration, and expertise required to guide a project from development to commercial production. CDMOs that view API projects solely as revenue streams while neglecting these critical elements risk falling short of customer expectations and longterm success. Flamma remains true to the spirit that began back in 1950 and is proud to continue to help innovator companies achieve their goals to bring new and exciting drugs to patients in need. Transparency, honesty, commitment, reliability are what Flamma brings forward and we look forward to be a leader in the CDMO space for small molecules.
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