Bachem sees positive growth in second quarter

Bachem has expressed confidence in its future growth prospects after seeing a gradual improvement in its business performance in the second quarter of 2010.

The company has published its fiscal report for the first half of the year, a period which saw sales and income impacted by difficult business conditions compared to the corresponding half of 2009.

However, the firm also noted that demand is increasing on a month-by-month basis, with sales in the second quarter outstripping those of the first three months of 2010 by 25 per cent.

Rolf Nyfeler, chief executive officer of Bachem, added: "At the same time we focus on consistent cost management and measures to increase efficiency."

As a result, Bachem is expecting a "substantially higher operating income margin" in the second half of the year, as well as an average annual sales growth of between six per cent and ten per cent over the next five years.

Last month, Bachem announced the sale of its stake in the active peptide ingredients company Polyphor to Ingro Finanz AG.