Symrise Opens Lab in Nigeria and will Source “production inputs locally”

I like visiting factories in Nigeria because until we begin to process some of the raw materials we have in Nigeria, we will remain downstream players. So, it was a beauty when Symrise noted it was opening a factory in Nigeria to hire our young people and run an application lab. That is a win for Team Nigeria. 

Symrise supplies fragrances, flavourings, cosmetic active ingredients, and raw materials to manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, the pharmaceutical industry and producers of nutritional supplements.

Another element of this company that got me excited was the promise to source “production inputs locally”. This can open opportunities for our chemists, microbiologists and other domain experts to see how our abundant natural resources can be used in perfumes, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and beverages. I will recommend “ugbaju”, a local herb in eastern part of Nigeria that blows our malaria! (please  see a doctor, forget my prescription).

Welcome to Nigeria, Symrise – we want more factories in Nigeria. Yes, industrialization  was a key part of my piece in Harvard Business Review last week here. I will be making a visit to Symrise Lab this month when I make it to Lagos.

Read Press Release Below

Global flavours, fragrance, and cosmetic ingredients manufacturer Symrise has launched its new application laboratories in Lagos with an exclusive tour of the facility on September 4, 2019. The lab exists to deepen the company’s presence in West Africa and to service Nigeria’s consumer demands by sourcing production inputs locally.

According to Rudy McLean Managing Director Symrise Nigeria, the principal challenge being tackled by the new Symrise facility is to help Nigerian manufacturers create affordable consumer brands like beverages, toothpaste, cereals, detergents, washing up liquid, beauty products, and personal hygiene products. Making such items affordable is central to the company’s strategy because of the unique economic situation in the Nigerian market.

Speaking on what informed the decision to do business and build application labs in Nigeria, Thomas Dressler, President EAME Fragrances and Oral care said,

“Nigeria has a very large economy and we service the everyday needs of people. Even though we have a large sales department here, the products for the Nigerian market were developed outside the country. To serve Nigerians better, we need to be close enough to the Nigerian people and products to understand them and give better-suited products to the Nigerian consumer. That informed our decision”.

Alexander Lichter, Vice President Flavour Sales EAME, added that doing business in Nigeria comes with its own challenges, he said,

“Challenges are not exclusive to Nigeria. We see all the challenges in all other countries where we have a presence and we are used to it. However, the prevailing factor for us is that we recognize the opportunities in West Africa and Nigeria and we tap into it regardless”.

Symrise has a unique value proposition in the Nigerian market space because most of its clients in the country lack proper application labs to carry out ingredient analysis and testing. With this new facility, not only will clients be able to satisfy their customers at their price-dominated point of need, but they will also be able to develop higher quality products without breaking the bank.

The new facility will provide labs for beverage, sweet and culinary applications, as well as labs for fragrance and cosmetic ingredients applications. It represents a key part of the company’s EAME expansion strategy.

Highlighting the next steps for Symrise after the launch of the Labs facility, Thomas Dressler, President EAME Fragrances and Oral care said,

“We will be providing a few job opportunities but our first step is to educate people in the art of perfumery. This is exciting because we offer young people a very special opportunity you can’t get in a public school or University. Symrise has a Perfumery school in Germany. We have people come from Brazil, Thailand, and China. We hope to have Nigerians come in and learn this art very soon. However, they need to have some basic knowledge and in the application Labs, young technicians will be exposed to the development of consumer products; one side cosmetic, the other side, food products”.

Notable guests present at the opening of the new facility included, Dr. Alexander Lichter – Vice President Flavour Sales EAME, Sofiane Berrahmoune Sub Regional Flavour Director Africa Middle East, Dr Eberhard Suessle – Vice President Creation & Application Category Culinary EAME, Rudy McLean – Managing Director Symrise Nigeria, Pieter Gildenhuys – Head of HR & Finance Symrise South Africa, Thelumusa Mkhonza – Technical Manager Sub Saharan Africa, Amit Mudholkar – Sales Director Sub Saharan Africa Fragrances, Miguel Pereira – Sales Director Sub Saharan Africa Flavours, Dr, Rene Hemeier Vice President AMET Fragrances, Thomas Dressler – President EAME Fragrances & Oral Care, Daniel Ibarra – Vice President EAME Cosmetic Ingredients, among others.

Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavourings, cosmetic active ingredients, and raw materials as well as functional ingredients. Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, the pharmaceutical industry and producers of nutritional supplements.

To find out more about Symrise, visit www.symrise.com

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