Chemicals & pharmaceuticals: industry outline
The chemical-pharmaceutical industry is the third largest industrial sector in Germany after automotive and mechanical engineering. It is the leading industry in Europe and the third largest in the world behind China and the USA.
It comprises the processing of inorganic and organic raw materials into chemical products and the manufacture of pharmaceutical raw materials. Only 27 percent of chemical products (including coatings, paints, adhesives, fertilizers and personal care products) are sold directly to the end consumer. Around two thirds are further processed within the industry. Both the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are subject to strict emission controls and require a sound understanding of process and system requirements in order to be able to offer customer-specific solutions.