✕ CLOSE Online Special City News Entrepreneurship Environment Factcheck Everything Woman Home Front Islamic Forum Life Xtra Property Travel & Leisure Viewpoint Vox Pop Women In Business Art and Ideas Bookshelf Labour Law Letters
Click Here To Listen To Trust Radio Live

Symrise expands in Nigeria, launches labs facility in Lagos

A leading global flavours, fragrance, and cosmetic ingredients manufacturer, Symrise, has launched its new application laboratories in Lagos. Speaking during an exclusive tour of the…

A leading global flavours, fragrance, and cosmetic ingredients manufacturer, Symrise, has launched its new application laboratories in Lagos.

Speaking during an exclusive tour of the new facility in Lagos, the Managing Director, Symrise Nigeria, Rudy McLean, said the new laboratories were part of the company’s expansion initiative in West Africa and to service Nigeria’s consumer demands by sourcing production inputs locally.

Rudy McLean, Managing Director Symrise Nigeria and Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Flavour Director Africa and Middle East MD Symrise ME Flavour Division.
Rudy McLean, Managing Director Symrise Nigeria and Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Flavour Director Africa and Middle East MD Symrise ME Flavour Division.

The managing director added that the principal challenge being tackled by the new Symrise facility is to help Nigerian manufacturers create affordable consumer brands like beverages, toothpaste, cereals, detergents, washing up liquid, beauty products, and personal hygiene products.

“Making such items affordable is central to the company’s strategy because of the unique economic situation in the Nigerian market,” McLean said.

Tour of Symrise Laboratories in Lagos, Nigeria.
Tour of Symrise Laboratories in Lagos, Nigeria.

Speaking on why Nigeria was chosen for the lab facility, the President, EAME Fragrances and Oral Care, Thomas Dressler, said: “Nigeria has a very large economy and we service the everyday needs of people.

“Even though we have a large sales department here, the products for the Nigerian market were developed outside the country.

“To serve Nigerians better, we need to be close enough to the Nigerian people and products to understand them and give better-suited products to the Nigerian consumer. That informed our decision”.

L-R: Warren Cuyler, General Manager Symrise Nigeria; Rene Hemeier, Vice President Fragrance Division (Africa, Middle East and Turkey); Dr. Eberhard Süßle, Vice President Creation and Application Category Culinary EAME; Thomas Dressler, President EAME Fragrances and Oral care; Alexander Lichter, Vice President Flavour Sales EAME; Rudy McLean, Managing Director Symrise Nigeria; Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Flavour Director Africa and Middle East MD Symrise ME Flavour Division; Daniel Ibarra, Vice President EAME Cosmetic Ingredients Division; at the press conference to launch Symrise Application Laboratory which held at Radisson Blu Ikeja, Lagos recently.
L-R: Warren Cuyler, General Manager Symrise Nigeria; Rene Hemeier, Vice President Fragrance Division (Africa, Middle East and Turkey); Dr. Eberhard Süßle, Vice President Creation and Application Category Culinary EAME; Thomas Dressler, President EAME Fragrances and Oral care; Alexander Lichter, Vice President Flavour Sales EAME; Rudy McLean, Managing Director Symrise Nigeria; Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Flavour Director Africa and Middle East MD Symrise ME Flavour Division; Daniel Ibarra, Vice President EAME Cosmetic Ingredients Division; at the press conference to launch Symrise Application Laboratory which held at Radisson Blu Ikeja, Lagos.

Also commenting, the Vice President, Flavour Sales EAME, Alexander Lichter, noted that doing business in Nigeria comes with its own challenges.

“Challenges are not exclusive to Nigeria. We see all the challenges in all other countries where we have a presence and we are used to it.

“However, the prevailing factor for us is that we recognize the opportunities in West Africa and Nigeria and we tap into it regardless,” Lichter said.

Tour of Symrise Laboratories Facility in Lagos.
Tour of Symrise Laboratories Facility in Lagos.

The company’s Executives pointed out that Symrise has a unique value proposition in the Nigerian market space because most of its clients in the country lack proper application labs to carry out ingredient analysis and testing.

They pointed out that with this new facility, not only will clients be able to satisfy their customers at their price-dominated point of need, but they will also be able to develop higher quality products without breaking the bank.

The new facility will provide labs for beverage, sweet and culinary applications, as well as labs for fragrance and cosmetic ingredients applications. It represents a key part of the company’s EAME expansion strategy, they added.

Executives of Symrise during the press briefing.
Executives of Symrise during the press briefing.

Commenting on the next steps for Symrise after the launch, the President, EAME Fragrances and Oral Care, Thomas Dressler, said: “We will be providing a few job opportunities but our first step is to educate people in the art of perfumery.

“This is exciting because we offer young people a very special opportunity you can’t get in a public school or University. Symrise has a Perfumery school in Germany. We have people come from Brazil, Thailand, and China.

“We hope to have Nigerians come in and learn this art very soon. However, they need to have some basic knowledge and in the application Labs, young technicians will be exposed to the development of consumer products; one side cosmetic, the other side, food products”.

Tour of Symrise Laboratories in Lagos, Nigeria.
Tour of Symrise Laboratories in Lagos, Nigeria.

Dignitaries who graced the opening of  the new lab facility included, Dr. Alexander Lichter – Vice President, Flavour Sales EAME; Sofiane Berrahmoune, Sub Regional Flavour Director, Africa Middle East; Dr Eberhard Suessle – Vice President, Creation & Application Category Culinary EAME; Rudy McLean – Managing Director, Symrise Nigeria, Pieter Gildenhuys – Head of HR & Finance, Symrise South Africa; and Thelumusa Mkhonza – Technical Manager, Sub Saharan Africa.

Others are Amit Mudholkar – Sales Director, Sub Saharan Africa Fragrances; Miguel Pereira – Sales Director Sub Saharan Africa Flavours; Dr. Rene Hemeier, Vice President, AMET Fragrances; Thomas Dressler – President EAME Fragrances & Oral Care; and Daniel Ibarra – Vice President, EAME Cosmetic Ingredients, among others.

Some guests and Executives of Symrise at the opening of Symrise Laboratories in Lagos, Nigeria.
Some guests and Executives of Symrise at the opening of Symrise Laboratories in Lagos, Nigeria.

Daily Trust reports that Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavourings, cosmetic active ingredients, and raw materials as well as functional ingredients.

Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, the pharmaceutical industry and producers of nutritional supplements.

VERIFIED: It is now possible to live in Nigeria and earn salary in US Dollars with premium domains, you can earn as much as $12,000 (₦18 Million).
Click here to start.