Evonik: €80m for biopharma CDMO capacity in Slovakia

The speciality chemicals group Evonik is driving its strategic transformation forward and is selectively expanding its biotechnology business. The company is investing around €80m at its Slovak site in Slovenská Ľupča, where downstream fermentation for the manufacture of pharmaceutical active ingredients is being expanded. Around 50 new jobs are being created.

Foothold in Slovakia

On the ground, it is clear that the long‑established Fermas site has already completed its transformation – from former amino‑acid producer to a broadly positioned biotech centre. Today, Evonik bundles expertise along the entire value chain, from fermentation through to the industrial‑scale purification of complex molecules. The facility is regarded as a central pillar of the Group’s CDMO business, providing contract development and manufacturing services for pharma and life‑science companies worldwide.

The current investment builds on earlier projects, including the industrial‑scale production of rhamnolipides launched in 2022. In this way, Slovenská Ľupca has evolved into one of Evonik’s key biotechnology hubs. Site manager Miroslav Havlik emphasises the role of the site in global health solutions as well as its importance for regional development.

Evonik Fermas, based in Slovenská Ľupča, was founded in 1992 as a joint venture between Degussa AG and Biotika a.s. Initially focused on amino acids for animal nutrition, the site has been fully owned by Evonik since 1998. Since then, the product portfolio has expanded to fermentation‑based offerings for pharma, cosmetics, personal care and animal nutrition. Since 2024, Evonik has also been producing, as the first company globally, rhamnolipide‑based biosurfactants at industrial scale at this location. Today, the site ranks among the Group’s leading biotechnology centres.

Among other products, Evonik produces at industrial scale the spider‑silk protein developed by Munich‑based Amsilk at Slovenská Ľupca. Thanks to its diverse material properties, the protein is being positioned as a new class of materials for applications ranging from cosmetics and drug‑packaging to cleaning products and textile‑based solutions.

Greater emphasis on biopharma

The investment feeds into Evonik’s shift towards higher‑margin, less cyclical business segments. The company is thus strengthening its CDMO offering for the pharmaceutical industry and positioning itself as a partner for the industrial‑scale manufacture of complex active ingredients.

Strategically, the expansion fits into a broader transformation programme through which Evonik aims to increase the share of specialised, more sustainable solutions and gradually decouple itself from traditional bulk chemicals. In parallel, the Group is investing in new production lines and innovations, including in Asia. Operationally, Evonik continues to face a demanding market environment. At the same time, management is pursuing efficiency programmes and portfolio adjustments to stabilise profitability and cash flow. Upcoming financial results will show how quickly these strategic measures feed through into the company’s key metrics. So far, analysts are divided over whether Evonik is entering a sustained upswing or whether a durable turnaround has yet to materialise. In the market, the share price has gained since the start of the year.