Lonza

Lonza transformed from chemical commodity producer to pharma industry's most critical infrastructure through strategic divestment and focus. Founded in 1897 producing calcium carbide, the company spent a century in chemicals before pivoting entirely to life sciences contract manufacturing. The 2021 sale of its specialty ingredients division for $4.7B completed the transformation: Lonza now exclusively manufactures drugs for pharma companies lacking in-house production capacity. This CDMO (contract development and manufacturing) model thrives on specialization - Lonza invests in complex biotech manufacturing (viral vectors, mRNA, antibodies) that's too expensive for most pharma companies to build internally. The company's $7B+ revenue proves that in biopharma, providing critical infrastructure beats developing your own drugs.