Excerpts from the interview:
What is the secret behind the success of Orchid?
A pro-active philosophy and an unshakable conviction that an Indian enterprise can achieve success provided it has the right planning and implementation strategies in place drove every phenomenal achievement of Orchid. The best is yet to come.
What would you consider as the achievements of the company?
In a short span, our Cephalosporin production has increased from 90 MT to 800 MT. Orchid has secured a 15 percent world market share of its oral cephalosporin product, Cephalexin, and between 10-12 percent of the world market share for oral and sterile products.We are the largest manufacturer and exporter of oral and sterile cephalosporins in India and are ranked among the top 5 companies in the world in the manufacture of cephalosporins. We now export our products to over 75 countries.
What is your strategy to expand into overseas markets?
The company is making a major foray into advanced markets in Europe and US and has entered into quite a few joint ventures. Partnering with BEXEL Pharmaceuticals, the company is undertaking new drug discovery and development in the US.Orchid has entered into a 50:50 manufacturing and marketing joint venture with the North China Pharmaceutical Corporation (NCPC), the largest pharmaceutical group in China, considering the potential of the Chinese market.
How do you keep pace with the increased quality consciousness and the need to develop new products?
While many process technologies have been developed in-house, Orchid has also established certain core technologies based on selective technological collaborations with official process patent holders based in Europe. We also have set up overseas research facilities for development of niche products and processes.
What are the steps you have taken towards environmental protection?
Environmental protection gets high priority at Orchid. The company has invested more than Rs 450 million in putting up highly sophisticated infrastructure to ensure adequate treatment of all effluents. We have also taken several steps in fulfilling our social and environmental mission, extending far beyond government stipulated and regulatory requirements. Currently, Orchid is the only 'Zero-discharge' company in the Indian pharmaceutical industry.
What is your vision for the company?
The vision of Orchid today is to become a composite and a meaningfully integrated, pharmaceutical player, competing in differentiated arenas, where greater, more sustainable value can be created.In implementing this vision, Orchid is driven by a set of five core values, which are, respect for human being and premium on intellect, quest for international standards, customer satisfaction through quality and service, harmony with environment and maximization of stakeholder value.
