Takeda – International Tradition in the Capital Region

Integrity, fairness, honesty and perseverance, these are the four fundamental values of Takeda. They were given to the pharmaceutical company, founded in 1781 in Osaka, Japan, by its founder Chobei Takeda I and are still the basis of the corporate culture today. Takeda is the largest Japanese pharmaceutical company and mainly produces drugs that are prescribed by medical specialists and in hospitals. One of the company's most important products is for chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.

Takeda is present in 80 countries worldwide and therefore considers itself as an international company. People from many nationalities are now also working on the board of directors and in central positions. Direct contact between the German headquarters and the Tokyo headquarters however is rather rare. "Our headquarters for Europe is located in Zurich and a lot is done through the colleagues there," says Andreas Hundt, a spokesman for Takeda in Germany.

The companies main focus

Research areas, which Takeda is focussing on are gastroenterology, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. The field of rare diseases has been added as a field of research primarily through the acquisition of the Irish-British pharmaceutical company Shire. "This is one of our new and particularly important therapeutic areas in which we are stepping up our research. About half of our investment in development and research worldwide is invested in this segment," says Andreas Hundt. Takeda is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the field of drug production for rare diseases. Takeda's cancer drugs are also designed for rare cancer mutations. Takeda provides 60 different drugs on the German market, about half of which are for rare diseases. Takeda's research is conducted in Japan and the USA. In Germany, studies are mainly carried out to further develop drugs.

Germany for almost 40 years 

Takeda has been active in Germany since 1981, when the first Takeda site in Germany was established in Aachen. Over the years, locations in Singen and Konstanz, among others, were added through takeovers. In 2012 Takeda moved its German headquarters from Aachen to Berlin, however the headquarters in the capital city is not the only location in the region. The company also maintains a production site in Oranienburg. Around six billion tablets are produced here every year by almost 750 employees, most of them for the international market.

Oranienburg oin it´s way to excellence

Takeda got the production facility in Oranienburg with the acquisition of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Nycomed. Currently, Oranienburg is on it´s way to becoming a centre of excellence within the Takeda group. "This means that particularly high-quality drugs are produced here and that, for example, new technologies are used first and new processes are established first before being transferred to other sites," said Andreas Hundt. There were many reasons for choosing Oranienburg as a pilot location: on one hand, the existing processes here run exceptionally well, there are many particularly qualified employees and the growth potential is particularly high here. "There is a lot of space here and we can grow, resources like that are important", explains Andreas Hundt. Training is also provided in Oranienburg, and Takeda employs a total of 40 trainees here. "We hire new trainees every year, mainly pharmaceutical technicians, electronics technicians and chemical laboratory assistants," says Andreas Hundt. Until now, there have hardly been any problems in finding qualified young people.

Takeda is very much on the move in Berlin, from where it currently manages its sales activities and finances throughout Germany. Supply chain management, corporate communications and the central "Medical Information" function are also based in Berlin, a service that patients can turn to if they have any questions. 

With the colleagues from Shire who joined us last year, we have 500 employees in Berlin," says Andreas Hundt.

From Takeda's point of view, the main argument in favour of Berlin as a location is its networking potential, since all the key players within the life science sector come together here and there are also international connections. Takeda also wants to take up a little more space in the capital. As soon as a suitable property is found, Takeda employees want to move in with Shire employees, who currently have their offices at another location.