VIRBAC : Germany: 30 years of development!

Sunday, December 01, 2013 

Corporate news

How are you celebrating this 30th anniversary?

On 20th December, we brought together all the employees for an anniversary event as part of our traditional Christmas party. This was attended by Philip Ruppert, general manager Benelux and former Northern Europe director, and Sébastien Huron, area director Europe. This was not only an occasion to reward Virbac Germany for its efficiency in managing costs but also for the directors to recognise the employees' contribution to the subsidiary's success. In the space of 30 years, turnover has increased by 13!

How has the subsidiary changed?

The first subsidiary created by the company, Virbac Germany, was founded on 23rd December 1982 through the takeover of VMG, Veterinär Medizinische Gesellschaft, the main local distributor and long-standing partner in the country. From very early on, the subsidiary made the customer central to its development and even today, our reliabi-lity, total customer focus and the provision of innovative technical services are the undeniable characteristics recognised by some 10,000 German practitioners.

And in terms of products?

In the early 1980s, Virbac was mainly acting in the livestock segment. In the following years, the picture changed with the flagship launches in dogs and cats vaccines and the dermatological range Allerderm - the latter launched exactly 25 years ago. With Jernadex, later Eraquell and Equimax, Virbac entered the equine segment very successfully. The companion animal sector today represents 68 % of the subsidiary's turnover. In the 1990s, Virbac Germany created the electronic identification market by launching Backhome. Throughout its first 20 years, the subsidiary has been able to establish solid foundations in these segments where it is still a leader today.

And for food producing animals?

This activity represents just over 30% of its business and only really began to successfully develop in 2007 with the launch of Pulmodox and the products acquired from Intervet, namely Mastitar, Virbactan, Cyclix and Borgal. These key products enabled the subsidiary to position itself as a challenger in this segment. Powerflox, Shotaflor, Readycef, Toltranil, Marfloquin, Avicylat, Duocylat, Mastinject… are just some of the significant launches that have helped to expand the subsidiary's portfolio over the last five years.

Any recent major innovations?

Yes, there are three main ones. Firstly, Suprelorin made a great impression on its launch in 2008. This contraceptive implant for dogs has experienced a constant increase in sales in 2012. Another advance in 2011 was the marketing of Luminal against epilepsy in dogs which has allowed the subsidiary to penetrate a new segment. Finally, CaniLeish is Virbac's latest innovation, launched in Germany in 2012. This vaccine against canine leishmaniasis helps to strengthen Virbac's image as an innovative laboratory.

And Virbac's future in Germany?

The German animal health market, estimated to be worth 760 million euros is slowing down with a growth of only +0.7% in 2012. In this context, our objective is twofold: remain the 5th laboratory in the country and enjoy an above-market growth, which has always been the case until now. To achieve this, we need to find the right balance between new and generic products, particularly in production animals and continue with our approach of total customer focus, a dynamic services policy and a well-trained and motivated team, plus a strong commitment to the veterinarian industry, especially through our involvement in national animal health associations.