In hindsight, Sun Pharma’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Since making the leap from its home base in India to the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area four years ago, demand for Sun Pharma’s main product, generic medicines, has skyrocketed.
“Amsterdam is a prime base of operations from which to further expand our share in the growing European market,” explained Prashant Savla, Head of Logistics and Finance for Sun Pharma. “Our physical presence here gives us an inside view into what our European customers want — and having a local point of contact is important to our customers, too.”
Sun Pharma is a leading player in an interesting niche market. With costs of medicines threatening to go through the roof, healthcare professionals are showing an increasing preference for prescribing generic medicines — medicines that are no longer under patent and that pharmaceutical companies, other than the patent holder, are free to manufacture.
This development is also indirectly responsible for the growing number of pharmaceutical companies specializing in the manufacturing of patent-free medicines, particularly in India and China. Sun Pharma is a good example of a successful internationalization strategy in action; more than half its revenue is currently generated outside India. After conquering the American market, the company turned its attention to Europe.
Sun Pharma chose the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area to expand because it has excellent digital and physical accessibility, a good supply of English-speaking employees and good connections to all 27 EU member states.
