Saltigo GmbH

What Saltigo GmbH does

Saltigo GmbH is a German Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) specializing in custom chemical synthesis and process development for fine chemicals, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of LANXESS AG since 2006. The company employs approximately 1,100 staff across production sites in Leverkusen and Dormagen, both located within CHEMPARK — one of Europe's largest integrated chemical parks. Its service offering spans the full lifecycle from early-stage route scouting and process development through pilot-scale optimization to commercial multi-ton production, organized into three vertical sub-categories: crop protection (agrochemical intermediates), pharmaceutical intermediates (Regulatory Starting Materials and complex APIs), and specialty chemicals (advanced materials, battery materials, catalysts, consumer care).

The company's underlying technology portfolio covers six core chemistry platforms: high-pressure hydrogenation, phosgenation, fluorination, metathesis, flow chemistry, and halogenation. In addition to contract manufacturing services, Saltigo sells a selected portfolio of fine chemical intermediates and markets the Saltidin® (Icaridin) insect repellent active ingredient globally. Revenue is generated through project-based custom manufacturing contracts, process development professional services, and product sales, with project-specific quote-based pricing. The go-to-market model relies on direct enterprise sales relationships complemented by event-driven presence at pharmaceutical and fine chemicals trade fairs (CPHI, Chemspec Europe). The company holds ISO 9001 certification (2024-2027) for its quality management system and is led by CEO Michael Schäfer, who assumed the role in February 2024.

Name

Saltigo GmbH

Legal name

Saltigo GmbH

Website

https://saltigo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Saltigo GmbH is a German CDMO and wholly-owned LANXESS subsidiary providing custom synthesis and process development for fine chemicals, serving pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and specialty chemicals customers from two CHEMPARK production sites with approximately 1,100 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Chemical Manufacturing / CDMO Services

NAICS

Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (32541), Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Small-Molecule API & Intermediates CDMO (HLAGABAA)

Keywords

• Custom chemical manufacturing
• Fine chemicals production
• Pharmaceutical intermediates manufacturing
• Agrochemical contract manufacturing
• Process development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Langenfeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Manufacturing Contracts: Contract-based development and production of chemical intermediates, active ingredients, and specialty chemicals tailored to customer specifications. Projects range from early-stage process development through commercial multi-ton scale production.
2. Process Development Services: Process scouting, research, development and optimization services supporting customers throughout the product lifecycle from laboratory to commercial production.
3. Fine Chemical Intermediates: Sale of fine chemical intermediates from a selected portfolio, including Saltidin (Icaridin) insect repellent active ingredient.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Saltigo GmbH is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) that performs custom manufacturing and process development of fine chemicals, active ingredients, and complex intermediates for the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and specialty chemicals industries. The company supports customers from early-stage route scouting and process development through pilot production to commercial multi-ton scale manufacturing, while also selling a selected portfolio of fine chemical intermediates and the Saltidin® (Icaridin) insect repellent active ingredient.

Product overview

Saltigo GmbH is a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for custom manufacturing and process development in the fine chemicals industry. The company operates as a unified CDMO platform offering custom manufacturing services spanning from early-stage process development and scale-up to reliable commercial multi-ton production. The core Custom Manufacturing service is organized into three sector-focused sub-categories: Crop Protection, Pharmaceutical Intermediates, and Specialty Chemicals. Supporting these are Fine Chemical Intermediates (standard product catalog), the Saltidin® (Icaridin) insect repellent brand, and three technology platforms for specialized synthesis (Metathesis and Flow Chemistry, Hydrogenation and Halogenation, Phosgenation). The service offering is further enabled by Process Scouting and Research, Process Development and Pilot Production, and Regulatory Services modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Saltidin®: Globally established insect repellent active ingredient (Icaridin) marketed by Saltigo.

Products and services

• Custom Manufacturing

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LANXESScoreOthersSaltigo is a wholly owned subsidiary of LANXESS, a specialty chemicals company. Saltigo has operated as an independent company since 2006, benefiting from LANXESS infrastructure within CHEMPARK while maintaining its own management and operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Recipharm: European pharmaceutical CDMO headquartered in Sweden offering API manufacturing, finished dosage forms, and development services. Competes with Saltigo in pharmaceutical intermediates and custom synthesis, though more focused on drug product.
• Lonza Group: Swiss-headquartered global CDMO leader offering custom manufacturing for pharmaceutical and specialty chemical customers across small molecules, biologics, and cell therapy. Directly comparable to Saltigo in pharma custom synthesis business model.
• EUROAPI: French API manufacturer spun off from Sanofi in 2022, producing small-molecule active ingredients for pharma. Direct competitor in the European small-molecule API/intermediates CDMO space with similar complex chemistry capabilities.
• Hovione: Portuguese family-owned CDMO focused on API and intermediate manufacturing, particle engineering, and inhalation drug delivery. Comparable to Saltigo in offering complex custom synthesis with multi-ton commercial production capability.
• WuXi AppTec: Chinese global CDMO/CRO with extensive small-molecule API and intermediate manufacturing services. Direct competitor in pharmaceutical custom synthesis at global scale, often on cost-competitive terms.
• Aenova Group: German pharmaceutical CDMO focused on solid dosage forms and related services. Comparable as a German-based CDMO competitor serving pharma customers with custom manufacturing capabilities.
• Siegfried Holding: Swiss CDMO specializing in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates with production sites in Switzerland, Germany, France, and the US. Closely mirrors Saltigo's small-molecule API/intermediate CDMO positioning and European production base.
• Catalent: US-headquartered global CDMO offering drug substance, drug product, and clinical supply services. Comparable CDMO business model serving pharmaceutical customers, though broader scope including biologics and softgel capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Johnson Matthey: British specialty chemicals and catalysts company with significant fine chemicals and custom manufacturing operations. Comparable in offering complex chemistry services to pharma and specialty chemical customers, though with a broader industrial focus.
• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals major with significant custom synthesis and CDMO activities through its Health Care business line. Overlaps with Saltigo in pharmaceutical intermediates, specialty additives, and complex chemistry within a much broader specialty chemicals portfolio.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saltigo
• Xx.com/lanxess
• Facebookfacebook.com/lanxess

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saltigo GmbH