Rohner AG

Rohner AG, also known as RohnerChem, is a privately held and cGMP-compliant contract chemical manufacturer that specializes in rapid scale-up and commercial-scale custom synthesis of complex, small molecule API's, advanced intermediates and specialty polymers. While Rohner began by practicing traditional chemistry like nitration and chlorination, the company moved into graphics chemicals and dyestuffs in the 1920s. In the 1980s, Rohner would again shift its focus to custom synthesis for the life science and specialty chemical industries, evolving to acquire more advanced methods such as transition metal catalysis (TMC), cryogenic reactions, and high-pressure asymmetric hydrogenation. In 2002, Rohner added cGMP capacity for the pharmaceutical sector and was able to add a few major customers. However, upon losing a significant customer in 2003, Rohner fell into a multi-year slump that nearly led to its demise as then parent Novasep, a subsidiary of Rockwood Specialties Group, announced plans to close down Rohner's facilities in 2006. Shortly thereafter, Rohner was acquired by private equity firm ARQUES Industries. ARQUES led a significant restructuring process which led to a major turnaround and international expansion for Rohner before selling the company in a secondary sale to another private equity firm (for more details, please see PrivCo's M&A and Financials Tables for Rohner AG). Rohner AG was founded by Joseph Rohner in 1906 remains headquartered Pratteln, Switzerland.