Symrise Parsian, the global company’s new site in Tehran, Iran, was inaugurated during an opening ceremony on 14 April 2016. Local and international guests as well as company representatives attended the ceremony. The official welcome was carried out by the German ambassador Michael von Ungern-Sternberg. The Board of the German Chamber of Commerce and senior representatives from the German consulate were also present.
Building on a strong historical connections
This move strengthens Symrise’s presence in the Middle East, establishing it as a pioneer among multinationals. The company will be setting up sales offices and application-specific laboratories at the site. It wants to use the knowledge gained in Iran to develop custom-made products for the market in the Persian Gulf region. These will be produced for manufacturers of perfumes, body care, and household products, and for local and international customers in the food and beverage industry.
The history of Symrise is closely linked to Iran. The Scent and Care and Flavour and Nutrition segments have had business contacts with Iran for more than 40 years. During this time, the company has worked intensively to familiarise itself with the local markets, building close and lasting relationships with customers. ‘Having our own site in the region underlines our dedication to Iranian customers and this attractive market. We are thus a step ahead of many other international companies,’ says Dr Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, CEO of Symrise. Iran’s location between Europe, Russia and the Persian Gulf states makes this country an important trading hub. This opens a variety of trading opportunities for the future, and with Asia.
‘The country has good liquidity and already ranks among the 20 largest economies. Iran has the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world as well as other natural resources. Experts expect the gross domestic product to double soon,’ says Bertram. ‘Our business relationships have been in place for more than 40 years. The business has been overseen by freelance sales representatives since the mid ‘70s and has expanded continually since then. Despite the many sanctions that were implemented at the beginning of the Iraqi war and maintained throughout, Symrise has sustained strong relations with customers and surrounding Persian Gulf states.’
Close contact with customers
With its local infrastructure in place, Symrise will be able to serve its customers better and much faster, while engaging with them in a purposeful manner. In this way, the company can recognise customer needs and market demands early on and implement these in its product development. ‘The population of roughly 80 million is well educated with a healthy demographic distribution of 50 percent under the age of 30. There is a lot of demand for products such as high-quality perfumes, cosmetics and foods that conform to leading global standards. The total market potential in this area is estimated to be more than €100 million,’ explains Mohammad Faieghi, MD of Symrise Parsian.
