ChromaCon
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
ChromaCon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ChromaCon
- Legal name
- ChromaCon AG
- Website
- https://chromacon.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ChromaCon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bioprocess chromatography systems
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Downstream Processing & Purification Technologies (chromatography, filtration, centrifugation) (HLAAAJAB), Regulatory Information Management (RIM) & Submission Publishing Software (HLAGAJAL)
Keywords
Where ChromaCon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ChromaCon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Chromatography Systems (Capital Equipment): Sale of Contichrom chromatography systems (CUBE, PILOT, TWIN HPLC, TWIN LPLC) as capital equipment to biopharma companies and CDMOs. Systems range from benchtop FPLC (CUBE) to industrial GMP production scale (TWIN).
- Process Development & Consulting Services: Fee-for-service offerings including feasibility studies, process modeling, custom purification, training, and technical consulting to support process development and scale-up.
- System Maintenance & Support: Preventive maintenance subscriptions, on-site repair services, and remote technical support to maintain system performance. Global service through YMC offices and LEWA support network.
- System Rentals: Rental of Contichrom systems for customer evaluation in their own labs before purchase commitment. Full technical support and training included.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Contichrom CUBE - Benchtop FPLC system for process development |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Contichrom PILOT - Pilot-scale preparative HPLC system |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Contichrom TWIN HPLC - Industrial GMP system for commercial production |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Contichrom TWIN LPLC - Sanitary GMP system for biologics |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
ChromaCon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ChromaCon AG designs, manufactures, and sells the Contichrom platform of continuous and batch chromatography systems (CUBE, PILOT, TWIN HPLC, TWIN LPLC) for biopharmaceutical downstream processing, used by drug manufacturers and CDMOs for purification of peptides, oligonucleotides, monoclonal antibodies, ADCs, viral vectors, and recombinant proteins. The company also licenses the ChromIQ 9 operating software and provides process development, feasibility studies, training, system rentals, custom purification, and maintenance services. Core differentiation rests on patented twin-column continuous chromatography technologies (MCSGP, CaptureSMB) with dynamic UV-based process control (AutoPeak, AutomAb).
Product overview
YMC ChromaCon offers the Contichrom® platform of chromatography systems for continuous and batch purification across development, pilot, and GMP production scales. The portfolio centers on the Contichrom® CUBE (100-bar FPLC for process development), Contichrom® PILOT 300X (100-bar preparative HPLC for pilot scale), Contichrom® TWIN HPLC (80-bar industrial HPLC for commercial peptide/oligo manufacturing), and Contichrom® TWIN LPLC (7.5-bar sanitary GMP systems for biologics capture and polishing). All systems run on the ChromIQ® 9 software platform and share proprietary twin-column continuous chromatography technologies: CaptureSMB® with AutomAb® for continuous capture, MCSGP with AutoPeak® for continuous polishing, and N-Rich® with AutoPeak® for impurity enrichment. A broad services layer supports customers through feasibility studies, process modeling, training, system rentals, custom purification, and maintenance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Contichrom: Chromatography systems platform including CUBE, PILOT, and TWIN product lines for batch, continuous capture, and continuous polishing chromatography applications.
- ChromIQ
- ChromaCraft
- CaptureSMB
- MCSGP
- AutoPeak
- AutomAb
- N-Rich
Products and services
- Contichrom CUBE (30 & 100) Versatile 100-bar benchtop FPLC system for chromatography process development. Runs batch, integrated batch, and continuous chromatography (MCSGP and CaptureSMB) out of the box. Supports development of purification processes for mAbs, peptides, oligonucleotides, ADCs, and viral vectors with verified scale-up over 100x to pilot and production systems. ChromIQ 9 software included. For biopharma process development groups.
- Contichrom PILOT 300X Next-generation preparative HPLC system for pilot-scale continuous chromatography in GMP environments. Features MCSGP with AutoPeak to eliminate the yield-purity trade-off, delivering +10-50% absolute yield increase at target purity with significantly less solvent than batch HPLC. ATEX Zone 2 / Class I Div 2 certified. Flow rates up to 300 mL/min. For clinical GMP manufacturing of peptides and oligonucleotides.
- Contichrom TWIN HPLC Industrial HPLC system for commercial GMP peptide and oligonucleotide manufacturing. Uses MCSGP with AutoPeak to eliminate the yield-purity trade-off, increasing recovery to >90% while reducing solvent consumption versus batch. ATEX Zone 2 / Class I Div 2 certified. Flow rates up to 36 L/min. Available in TWIN 300, 500, 1000, and 2000 models. For commercial peptide and oligonucleotide API manufacturers.
- Contichrom TWIN LPLC - Capture Sanitary GMP system for continuous capture chromatography at production scale. Uses CaptureSMB with AutomAb to maximize resin utilization, achieving up to 3x faster processing and 50% less Protein A resin and buffer consumption compared to batch. CIP-ready design for mAbs, viral vectors, ADCs, and recombinant proteins. Available in TWIN 300, 500, 1000, and 2000 models. For biologics manufacturers.
- Contichrom TWIN LPLC - Polishing Sanitary GMP system bringing continuous polishing to biopharmaceutical manufacturing at production scale. Uses MCSGP with AutoPeak to eliminate the yield-purity trade-off, achieving +10-50% absolute yield increase at target purity while reducing buffer consumption versus batch. CIP-ready design for mAbs, viral vectors, ADCs, and recombinant proteins. For biologics manufacturers.
- ChromIQ 9 software suite Central operating software platform for all Contichrom systems. Includes ChromaCraft for batch and integrated batch method design, CaptureSMB Wizard, MCSGP Wizard, N-Rich Wizard for continuous chromatography setup, Evaluation Center for data analysis, and OPC-UA enterprise integration. Supports dynamic process control (AutoPeak and AutomAb). Bundled with Contichrom systems.
- Process Modeling Services Calibrated mechanistic models built from customer batch data. Enables computational simulation and optimization of batch, MCSGP, or CaptureSMB processes before running experiments. Professional service for biopharma process development teams.
- Feasibility Studies Quantified performance comparison service where customer molecules are run on Contichrom systems and CaptureSMB or MCSGP is benchmarked against existing batch processes. For biopharma companies and CDMOs evaluating continuous chromatography.
- Custom Purification Contract purification service where YMC ChromaCon develops and runs the separation for customers, delivering formulated fractions from starting material using Contichrom technology. For companies without in-house continuous chromatography capabilities.
- System Rentals Rental program allowing customers to evaluate Contichrom systems in their own labs before purchase. Full technical support and training included. For biopharma companies and CDMOs piloting continuous chromatography.
- Training & Consulting Hands-on operator training, advanced application workshops, and expert consulting customized to team experience and specific Contichrom applications. For Contichrom users and prospects.
- Maintenance & Repair Preventive maintenance subscriptions and on-site repair services to maintain Contichrom systems at peak performance. Remote technical support available worldwide. For installed Contichrom systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.2% purity achieved with +9% yield gain, -73% Process Mass Intensity, -96% in-process controls (Bachem Bivalirudin PPQ campaign)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use ChromaCon
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ChromaCon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature7 records
ChromaCon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- LEWAcoreLEWA supplies ecodos triplex pumps for Contichrom TWIN LPLC systems and ecoflow pumps for Contichrom TWIN HPLC systems. LEWA support available in 80 countries for pump maintenance and service.
- FHNW (Fachhochschule Nordwestschweite)minorInstitute for Pharma Technology at FHNW hosts the annual 3-day Continuous Chromatography Workshop combining lectures, case studies, and hands-on twin-column training.
- LinkedInminorLinkedIn social media content embedded on website for display of recent social posts and social share buttons.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ChromaCon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pall Corporation (Danaher): Pall (a Danaher operating company) sells continuous chromatography systems including Cadence BioSMB and associated single-use flow paths for biologics capture. It is a direct functional competitor to CaptureSMB and benefits from Danaher's Cytiva-adjacent installed base.
- Waters Corporation: Waters supplies preparative chromatography columns (SunFire, XBridge) and AutoPurification systems used in peptide and oligonucleotide API manufacturing. It is comparable to ChromaCon on the consumables and bench-scale-to-pilot chromatography stack used by TIDES manufacturers.
- Agilent Technologies: Agilent sells preparative HPLC systems and InfinityLab chromatography platforms used in peptide and oligonucleotide purification. It overlaps with ChromaCon's PILOT/TWIN HPLC line in TIDES preparative chromatography.
- Shimadzu Corporation: Shimadzu's Nexera and prep HPLC systems are widely used in peptide and oligonucleotide manufacturing purification. It competes with ChromaCon at the PILOT and production HPLC tier for synthetic modality manufacturers.
- Tosoh Bioscience: Tosoh Bioscience supplies TOYOPEARL chromatography resins and process-scale columns used in biologics purification, frequently specified alongside continuous capture systems. It competes for the consumable and column portion of the downstream workflow that ChromaCon's systems rely on.
- Repligen Corporation: Repligen specializes in bioprocessing chromatography (OPUS pre-packed columns, KrosFlo flow-through systems, AVIPure ligands) and is a publicly traded pure-play in the same downstream purification niche as ChromaCon. It is the most direct US-listed comparable for the Contichrom product family.
Broad incumbents
- Sartorius AG: Sartorius offers Resolute periodic countercurrent chromatography systems and a broad bioprocess portfolio (single-use, filtration, fermentation). It is the closest large-cap competitor to ChromaCon's CaptureSMB continuous capture offering and bundles hardware with consumables at customer accounts.
- Cytiva: Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences) is the dominant bioprocessing chromatography incumbent, selling ÄKTA process systems, MabSelect/Protein A resins, and continuous capture solutions alongside single-use and services. It competes head-to-head with ChromaCon in continuous capture (vs. CaptureSMB) and polishing across mAb, vaccine, and gene therapy workflows.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher's bioproduction and Patheon CDMO businesses supply chromatography instruments (via acquired platforms) and run downstream processing services. It is an incumbent competitor for both capital equipment purchases and outsourced CDMO services competing with ChromaCon's Contichrom-driven custom purification offering.
- Merck KGaA / MilliporeSigma: MilliporeSigma's Process Solutions business sells chromatography resins, Mobius single-use systems, and process-scale chromatography skids. It competes with ChromaCon on both capture and polishing columns across biologics and TIDES manufacturing, often as part of larger integrated bioprocess deals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ChromaCon social profiles
Digital presenceChromaCon compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
ChromaCon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ChromaCon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ChromaCon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ChromaCon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ChromaCon
What does ChromaCon do?
ChromaCon AG designs, manufactures, and sells the Contichrom platform of continuous and batch chromatography systems (CUBE, PILOT, TWIN HPLC, TWIN LPLC) for biopharmaceutical downstream processing, used by drug manufacturers and CDMOs for purification of peptides, oligonucleotides, monoclonal antibodies, ADCs, viral vectors, and recombinant proteins. The company also licenses the ChromIQ 9 operating software and provides process development, feasibility studies, training, system rentals, custom purification, and maintenance services. Core differentiation rests on patented twin-column continuous chromatography technologies (MCSGP, CaptureSMB) with dynamic UV-based process control (AutoPeak, AutomAb).
Is ChromaCon a public or private company?
ChromaCon is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was ChromaCon founded?
ChromaCon was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ChromaCon based?
ChromaCon is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does ChromaCon make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Chromatography Systems (Capital Equipment) is the primary driver. The others are process Development & Consulting Services, system Maintenance & Support and system Rentals.
Who are ChromaCon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pall Corporation (Danaher), Waters Corporation, Agilent Technologies, Shimadzu Corporation, Tosoh Bioscience and Repligen Corporation. Broad incumbents are Sartorius AG, Cytiva, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Merck KGaA / MilliporeSigma.
Does ChromaCon have an API?
No public API is recorded for ChromaCon.
What industry is ChromaCon in?
ChromaCon's product category is Bioprocess chromatography systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAA, Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems, with a secondary code of HLAAAJAB, Downstream Processing & Purification Technologies (chromatography, filtration, centrifugation). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.