The Enzyme Leader

Novozymes is a leading producer of enzymes and microorganisms using biotechnology. The company is based in Denmark and is a sister concern of Novo Nordisk. In India, Novozymes is represented by Novozymes South Asia Pvt Ltd (NSAPL), located in Bangalore. Through a wide network of sales and marketing professionals, NSAPL is exploring the Indian market for the product range offered by Novozymes.

The company provides a variety of natural solutions to industrial problems. Based on an advanced biotech platform the company produces and sell more than 500 enzyme products in 130 countries. Since its inceptions in 1941, Novozymes has introduced almost every new industrial enzyme for the market. The company spends 11-13 percent of its sales on R&D and 15 percent employees work in R&D. Novozymes has more than 600 products for various industries.

The evolution of Novozymes started when two Danish pharmaceutical companies Nordisk Gentofte A/S and Novo Industries A/S, established in 1921 and 1925 respectively, were merged in 1989 into Danish Novo Nordisk A/S. In November 2000, Novozymes was established by its demerger from Novo Nordisk A/S. Before November 2000, the Novozymes business in Novo Nordisk A/S was a division called Enzyme Business.

The company has an extensive patent portfolio with more than 4,200 active patents, patent applications and licensed patents. And it is continuously and proactively seeking partners to license or in-license patents within the company's interest areas.

As a part of the company's business strategy, enzymes will continue to attract about 90 percent of its research resources. Based on biotech competences and technologies, the business strategy also includes initiatives outside the core enzymes business.

In the microorganism segment, through a series of acquisitions, Novozymes has become a world leader and will continue to expand in this field by introducing a series of new products and applications.

For biopolymers and pharmaceutical proteins market, with the acquisition of BioGaia Fermentation in 2002, Novozymes obtained the backbone for production of pharmaceutical proteins. By the end of 2004, the company is expecting to launch its first biopolymer product, hyaluronic acid, for cosmetics use. Novozymes will also explore the potential of technologies in other areas such as antimicrobial peptides. The company is very open to the idea of collaborations in its areas of
operations.

In partnership with customers, technology leaders and other stakeholders, 3,900 employees at Novozymes use nature's diversity and advanced biotech platform to make enzyme solutions available to businesses everywhere. However, the company strongly believes in a future scenario where its biological solutions will create the necessary balance between better business, cleaner environment and better lives. Novozymes calls it the industrial evolution.

According to market sources, the company has clocked sales of nearly Rs 65 crore in India in 2003-04.