businessEUROPEANInterview with Dr. Dominik Hauser, CEO of Hänseler AG

Treating symptoms naturallyFew people have time to run to the doctor with every minor sniffle or twinge. That is why the first port of call for people looking for relief from mild symptoms is the phar-macist. Thanks to companies like Hänseler AG in Switzerland, pharmacies stock a wide range of effective treatments for many com-mon ailments. The pharmaceutical specialist has built a successful business on three main areas of activity: the trade and processing of raw materials, the manufacture and sales of OTC drugs, and contract production and packaging.

By focusing on these three core

areas of activity, Hänseler AG has

been able to establish itself as a

leader in the Swiss market. “Most

of the 1,700 pharmacies and 600

drugstores in Switzerland are our

customers,” says CEO Dr. Dominik

Hauser. “Furthermore, we have

an industrial customer base that

reads like a who’s who of the phar-

maceutical, food and cosmetics

industries.”

Indeed, the production of pharma-

ceutical raw ingredients accounts

for 55% of Hänseler AG’s annual

turnover. “Here in Switzerland we

are the clear market leader for raw

materials such as pharmaceutical-

grade alcohol, essential oils and

herbal extracts,” says Dr. Hauser.

“Our expertise in this area dates

back to the company’s beginnings

and its credo at the time. When the

company was founded by Edwin

Hänseler in 1964, a real emphasis

was placed on customer proxim-

ity. The philosophy was to listen to

customers and their needs, and

then ensure we could either pro-

duce what they wanted ourselves

or obtain it from somewhere else.

The motto then was ‘If Hänse-

ler doesn’t have it, then no one

does’.”

In accordance with this philoso-

phy, Hänseler still fills gaps in its

own product range with those of

trusted partners. The company is

the official distributor in the Swiss

market of raw materials made by

international partners, for example

manufacturers of vitamins and vi-

tamin blends, essential and neutral

oils, and companies with a similar

range of activities to Hänseler and

offices across the globe.

Hänseler’s second business

mainstay is the manufacture of

its own brand of over-the-counter

medications and cosmetics, which

accounts for 35% of turnover.

Amongst its best-known brands

are best sellers such as Alcacyl®

for colds, flu and pain relief, Gly-

Coramin® for fatigue, OLBAS®

A filling line for tubes at Hänseler’s headquarters in Herisau

Hänseler’s headquarters and production site in Herisau

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Hänseler AGIndustriestrasse 35 9100 Herisau Switzerland

+41 71 3535858 +41 71 3535800

info@haenseler.ch www.haenseler.ch

herbal cold remedies, Probactiol®

plus dietary supplements for

healthy gut flora and Nieren- und

Blasendragées S for irritation of the

urinary tract. All of these products

are made from high-quality raw

materials to tried and tested for-

mulas and rank among the most

popular OTC drugs in Swiss retail.

The third area of activity in Hänse-

ler’s successful business model

is contract manufacturing. This

area accounts for 10% of turno-

ver and allows Hänseler to trade

in its manufacturing and filling

expertise. “For many companies,

contract manufacturing provides

an opportunity to adapt capacity at

short notice and also benefit from

the partner’s expertise,” explains

Dr. Hauser. “We guarantee the

required quality standards for our

customers in the pharmaceutical,

food and cosmetics industries.”

The main focus of the company’s

drug portfolio is women’s health,

with products for the prevention

and treatment of urinary tract

infections and for easing the symp-

toms of menopause. However, this

focus is not exclusive. “We recently

launched a completely new mois-

turizing lotion developed specially

for tattooed skin called Original

Tattoo Creme,” says Dr. Hauser.

“We were able to create it together

with a pharmacist within a very

short time. The ability to respond

quickly to customer needs and the

short development time to market

introduction is something that

larger companies usually cannot

provide.”

This is where Hänseler wants to

emulate its larger rivals: their inter-

national reach. Having established

itself as a pharmaceutical raw ma-

terial leader in the Swiss market,

the company is keen to expand

throughout the EU. “Foreign sales

currently account for just 5% of

our turnover,” says Dr. Hauser.

“We are targeting not just the Eu-

ropean market but also Asia and

the Far East. This is no easy chal-

lenge but we are confident that,

with the support of everyone in the

company, we can be successful.”

The CEO is at pains not to compro-

mise the qualities that set Hänseler

apart in the pursuit of expansion.

“We have to find our own niche

in the face of considerable con-

solidation in the market and the

dominance of an ever-shrinking

pool of major players. At the

moment our small size, and

the speed and reactivity

that being small gives us, is

a key advantage.” Another

factor playing in Hänse-

ler’s favour is its owner-

ship structure. “Our

principle shareholder is

the Steinegg Founda-

tion, which is based in

Herisau and is respon-

sible for encouraging

a healthy economic

structure in the region,”

explains Dr. Hauser. “The sup-

port of the Steinegg Foundation is

crucial in giving us the security to

reach higher.” ❙

The Hänseler Top Ten Classic line of pharmaceutical raw materials has grown to include more than 30 products

CEO Dr. Dominik Hauser

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Hänseler D-Mannose and Nieren- und Blasendragées are designed to prevent bladder infections, a common complaint affecting thousands of women each year

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