“We’re striving to support a competitive and globally diverse supply chain for our customers”

#SpeakPharma with Rochem

2023-02-04

Impressions: 1700

This week, SpeakPharma interviews Matt Thiel, President of Rochem International, a company that acts as a strong bridge between the East and the West by taking high quality ingredients manufactured mainly in China to manufacturers of food, nutritionals and pharmaceuticals in the regulated markets of the West. Today, Rochem not only supplies ingredients, but also provides customers with regulatory compliance and documentation. The company has been diversifying to other countries for sourcing raw materials and ingredients. This way, it seeks to support a competitive and ever-evolving supply chain for its customers, informs Thiel.

Rochem has a unique business model. When was the business idea conceived?

Rochem’s journey is closely linked to the story of our founder, Robyn Frisch, born and educated in China, who began her career in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. In the 1980s, she joined one of the largest trading companies in China that specialized in chemicals and pharmaceutical raw materials. Robyn travelled throughout China and visited many different chemical and drug manufacturers, which allowed her to develop a broad understanding of the sourcing, manufacturing, and supply process.

After relocating to the United States in 1990, Robyn continued to work in the industry, but felt the need for a highly trusted intermediary between leading ingredient manufacturers in China and manufacturers in the highly regulated, developed markets of the West. In 1994, she took the entrepreneurial leap and founded Rochem International Inc., which was first run out of her home office in Queens, New York.

Rochem has been growing rapidly ever since and now operates 16 offices throughout North America and Europe, including an office in China for sourcing, auditing, and logistics. Today, we are a global leader in developing, sourcing, and distributing predominantly Chinese-origin products to the world’s largest companies in the regulated markets of Human and Animal Health, Nutritional, Dietary Supplement, Food, Beverage, and Confectionery arenas.

How difficult was it to win the trust of manufacturers in the developed markets?

Since the beginning, we have focused on high-quality products, professionalism, and transparency, which helps us win the trust of our partners.

We deliver the highest quality ingredients for both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) medications for both human and animal applications, and also excel in peptides. Our customers trust us for FDA-compliant sweeteners, vitamins, nutraceuticals, and food additives. The largest food and beverage companies in the world rely on us for a wide variety of ingredients that meet or exceed strict quality criteria.

With so much talk of regulatory violations, contamination and sub-standard quality APIs coming out of China and India, has retaining customers in the developed world been a challenge?

We maintain a stringent and verifiable auditing program which ensures that our valued partners are FDA-compliant and are using current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) in all their operations and systems.

Our team dedicates a great deal of time identifying and recruiting quality suppliers with verified credentials that supply top-grade ingredients. Our sourcing headquarters in Qingdao, China, is equipped to exceed our customers’ requirements for quality and diversity. We manage the entire supply chain from sourcing to delivering ingredients with the sole purpose of maximizing our customers’ competitive advantage. This has made it possible for us to grow exponentially over the years.

What kind of regulatory services does Rochem offer?

We have 14 regulatory staff members who assist our customers with numerous types of cGMP documentation and technical support. We train and audit our partners to ensure FDA-compliant cGMPs are in their operations and systems. Our audits are extremely thorough and include an agenda, summary report, and a corrective action report, when applicable.

We are proud to say our regulatory team is well versed in ICH Q7A and CFR law and ensures that all required Rochem-represented API suppliers have self-identified with the FDA. We audit our manufacturers on a strict routine basis based on the USFDA’s six system quality inspection approach.

Our facilities have been inspected by the USFDA and audited by several multinational organizations for cGMP compliance. Our internal global operations are fully cGMP compliant as per the requirements in ICH Q7 ‘GMP Guide for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients’ as well as in IPEC and USP’s ‘Good Distribution Practices’. We have made a name for ourselves in the European and US markets.

Has Rochem embarked on any diversification programs?

We plan to constantly evolve and expand our supply chain. Currently, we are focusing on diversifying to multiple countries (of origin of raw materials/ingredients) to support a globally diverse supply chain for our customers. We will continue to focus on supplying ingredients to regulated markets from sources in Asia and other cost competitive parts of the world for all our product lines.

Our goal is to focus on staying at the forefront of regulation and compliance issues and continue developing long-term, strategic partnerships with our customers and suppliers.

Where do you want to see Rochem in the near future?

From a small, one-room office in Robyn’s home, to a global importer of the highest quality ingredients with 16 offices worldwide, we wish to continue this momentum by entering new markets and products with our strong, diverse, and ever-expanding supply chain relationships. While we have a strong core product line that is the foundation of our company, we also strive to become the product trend experts in our field and demonstrate the ability to grow with the market. We value innovation and having the resources to offer new and exciting ingredients to our customers that will positively impact their businesses.

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