Global Fine Chemicals Market Prosperous

Not long ago, at the Chemspec European Exhibition held in Geneva, Switzerland, a large number of leading fine chemical companies participated in the show, demonstrating the prosperity of the fine chemicals market. Large manufacturers including Lonza, Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals (SAEC), SF-Chem, and Sumitomo Chemical Europe expect that sales of fine chemicals will increase in 2006 and beyond.

Sumitomo's fine chemical production base is mainly located in Japan to avoid low-cost competition from China and India. Sumitomo's many raw materials come from neighboring China, but unlike other Western companies, it does not establish a production base in China. Lonza's sales of fine chemical intermediates continued to grow, and the rapidly growing areas included diketone derivatives. SAEC's goal is to increase sales of fine chemicals by 10% in 2006. The company also strives to be the top 10 medical diagnostics manufacturer. The current medical diagnostics industry is a high-growth field with a global scale of 30 billion U.S. dollars. SAEC's business will include providing customized formulations and direct supply for diagnostic companies.

This year, more than 400 exhibitors from the Chemspec Europe show, half of them from China. The next exhibition will be held in Mexico City, Latin America in the second half of 2007.