COMPANY FOCUS
A leader in the field of speciality pharma products Marsing & Co Africa is a full-service agent, importer and distributor of pharmaceutical ingredients and packaging. Its CEO, Rob Springer shared an in-depth account with P&C Review of how the company has evolved over the years. By Abby Vorster
M
arsing & Co Africa is steeped in history. As a
Marsing & Co Africa’s purpose-built warehousing facility and corporate office, situated at Lanseria Corporate Estate
subsidiary of Marsing & Co, based in Copenhagen,
Denmark, its foundation dates back as far as just after the second world war when John Marsing discovered all the pharmaceutical factories in Europe had been destroyed. Aware of the budding pharma industry in China, he decided to travel to the country to meet with manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished products, which he would soon start trading with, in an effort to rebuild the European pharma industry. He established Marsing & Co in 1943 as a trading company for active ingredients for
& Co Africa quickly became a force to
leading branded product. Springer’s team
the pharmaceutical
be reckoned with in the South African
got involved in the request, located a key
and veterinary
pharmaceutical market.
supplier in Dubai – Rak Ghani Glass – and
industries. During
since then, the pharmaceutical glass
Growing alongside its customers
packaging division of the business
expanded the trade worldwide,
While Marsing & Co Africa initially focused
has expanded.
including southern and central
on supplying speciality ingredients to
Africa, where SA Druggists was
the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and
expansion into plastic tablet jars, now well
the South African agent for Marsing &
animal feed industries, it has diversified
known in the industry as Securitainers.
Co. At the time, Springer was employed
over the years in line with the needs of its
Working in-conjunction with Pulse Plastics,
by SA Druggists as a sales manager.
customers. This has ranged from acquiring
whose factory is a purpose-designed
After the company was acquired by
new suitable suppliers of printed aluminium
cleanroom facility specifically set up
an industrial chemical company, its
and laminate tubes for pharmaceutical
to manufacture of pharma packaging
focus on supplying speciality pharma
ointments and creams, empty gelatine
containers, Marsing & Co Africa
ingredients was reduced, creating
capsules and specialised glass and
introduced its Securitainers to the market
a perfect opportunity for Springer to
packaging for the pharmaceutical industry.
in 2017.
the ’60s and ’70s, he Rob Springer, CEO of Marsing & Co Africa
establish his own business.
This was followed by the company’s
With each of these requests, Marsing & Co Africa has travelled to key markets
A solid and successful team
Springer registered the business in
all over the world, including Asia, India
Above key relationships with customers
June 1994. He says the local company’s
and the Middle East, to locate the right
and principals, Marsing & Co Africa has
success over the past 26 years is
international suppliers of innovative
always put its employees first. Springer
as a result of ‘not only being able
solutions for its customers throughout
says this directive has been central to the
to supply quality chemicals for the
southern Africa.
longevity of the company.
As the CEO of Marsing & Co Africa,
pharmaceutical industry but also being
Another key development for the
‘Our team includes dynamic sales
able to provide economic solutions and
company was its expansion into
coordinators and efficient administrative
the logistics of getting products from
pharmaceutical glass packaging. In 2011,
staff, geared towards fulfilling the
all over the world and delivering them
a South African cough syrup manufacturer
requirements of our customers,’ he
locally’. This was a significant difficulty
approached Marsing & Co Africa to
comments. ‘We encourage all our staff
for the industry in ’90s and why Marsing
source a clear cough syrup bottle for its
to gain knowledge about our customers
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| JANUARY 2020 | P C Review
