While ‚hard’ facts as

• up-to-date and multipurpose equipment for synthesis, compound purification and analytics and
• first-class synthetic chemists, being skilled, motivated, service orientated and goal-directed

are the prerequisites for a successful chemical contract research company – this alone would not suffice.

The following two ‚soft’ issues make the difference for a successful chemical company selling research and service:

• knowledge & know-how (from external and internal resources)
• clearly defined, appropriate, streamlined and preferably proprietary internal processes

We at ChiroBlock ensure to take care of all those four aspects.

Our state-of-the-art laboratories allow us to perform multi-step syntheses on lab-scale including all modern transformations. ChiroBlock is focussed on sophisticated, especially chiral molecules. This profile requires special and advanced equipment but does not allow us to restrict ourselves to some special reaction types.

For each of the three interacting laboratory processes „Synthesis“, „Purification“ and „Analytics“ – investments in modern equipment guarantee the availability of apropriate facilities - incl. parallel reactors, microwave devices, autoclaves, automated chromatography equipment, prep. HPLC, inert gas and low temperature facilities, lyophylisator, capillary zone electrophoresis, HPLC-UV/MS, NMR, GC-MS, ...)

ChiroBlock’s policy not to manufacture on large scale, allows us to focus investments on the latest lab-scale technology and prevents us from the need to run a second, completely different kind of business: to keep expensive production assets/facilities busy.

If required by customers, up-scaling tasks and (GMP) manufacturing of batches up to tons a are carried out by proved and experienced partners only a stone's throw away from ChiroBlock. This proximity to our partners and their implementation in a local chemistry network ensures a seamless transfer of projects into another scale, the application of complementary technology and the obeyance of secrecy issues. We are a convinced advocate of the principle to maximise efficiency by dividing complex projects into smaller, clearly defined tasks which are being solved by specialists.

Machines and equipment are only tools for solving problems and they only help to generate value in the hands of highly skilled and motivated staff. Skills, expertise, knowledge on the one hand and motivation and commitment on the other hand are two sides of one and the same coin which need to be taken care of when selecting, employing and developing staff.

It goes without saying that our customers expect highly qualified personell working for them. With a share of more than 60% being PhD chemists, all of which having more than five years experiences in synthesis, one prerequisite for successful research is given. A continuing education scheme for all employees, results and knowledge based salary components and the participation in sophisticated in-house research projects guarantees keeping the knowledge up-to-date.

Successful staff has not only to be qualified but also motivated.

The only way to ensure a maximum of identification of employees with the company and its business is the participation of the staff in the enterprise. At ChiroBlock, all chemists have a substantial share in the company – resulting in committed work, in a low staff turnover / fluctuation rate and in an open internal communication on the business strategy. It is crucial to create a creative but goal-directed working atmosphere for scientists who fully understand the customers needs. Our chemists feel at home at their own company the business objectives of which perferctly match their education, skills and interests. While all of our scientists share a passion for chemical synthesis and problem solving, each one contributes knowledge and experiences on a different field of chemistry.

As the company is 100% staff-owned, no third-party interests interfere with our business goals. Our kind of business very much relies on long – term relations, developments and visions and can not be run successfully under short – term aspects of financial investors. This constellation, again, makes it attractive for dedicated chemists to work with ChiroBlock, a company which lives not only from but also for chemical research and research chemists.

In exploring ways towards new compounds, in optimising syntheses, in making exclusive sophisticated molecules, ChiroBlock mainly sells knowledge. Knowledge is not being created from scrach. It is always based on available know-how, multiplied and enhanced by the creative work of scientists.

Scientists, capable of doing research are available at ChiroBlock. But – where to start from? What to be taken for granted? How to know what knowlege can be buildt upon? What needs to be verified, which known result is not to be used, what idea is protected by patents or secrecy agreements?

Much work has been done at ChiroBlock to address these issues of providing researchers with reliable information. This does not only include access to chemistry databases and scientific journals, papers and patents. It also comprises internally aquired know-how, the real and steadily growing treasure of a research company like ours. Both these sources of knowledge, together with a continuous education scheme are the basis of our information flow, processing and management system.

In order to facilitate the use of these information, we developed a software tool for knowledge management, which assist our scientists in finding and assessing knowledge, in connecting internal and external sources and – last but not least - in estimating its reliability. Additionally, clear distinctions between protected and free information are beeing made.

This way of knowledge management is one of our proprietary tools for managing internal processes typical for a service based business.

Entrance barrier, competition edge and profit basis - what patents are for a product business, the design and streamlining of processes constitute for service companies.

Complementary to investments in ‚hard‘ facilities, this process-design and develompment lies in the focus of ChiroBlock’s efforts to increase problem solving power, efficiency and profitability. What are the main processes in our industry? These comprise the already mentioned ‚knowledge management‘, the ‚quality management‘, ‚project management‘ (incl. communication management), ‚risk management‘ – and, of course, the value creating, laboratory based ‚triple process‘ of ‚synthesis – purification & analytics‘.

As divers as the service industries are, as many solutions for and approaches to each of these processes are available on the market. We at ChiroBlock decided not to entirely rely on ready-to-use solutions. Providing exclusive chemical research with strict requirements regarding secrecy issues, timelines, up-to-date knowledge and reliability is a very special service asking for tailor made process management. Therefore, we developed many proprietary (software) tools for some of the processes, while others are managed by adapted vailable solutions.

More than 50% of our in-house research & development capacity is assigned to permanently improve the processes, their intersections and the tools for their management. Without an efficient framework, the newest equipment, the best scientist and the latest knowledge could not be transverted into results and profits.