PT Combiphar

2018

Asia's Leading SMEs

PT Combiphar

Asia's Leading SMEs

2018

Combiphar

The Right Perfect Combination

Planning and strategising in a highly competitive market.

More than just a manufacturer of pharmaceutical products, Combiphar takes its identity as a consumer healthcare company seriously by taking Championing a Healthy Tomorrow as company’s commitment to help generate healthier Indonesian generation. In a pharmaceutical industry with over 200 national and multinational competitors, Combiphar stands out above the rest. Helmed by Combiphar’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Wanandi, the company traces its beginning to 1971. It was then acquired by Michael’s father and his partner in 1985. The acquisition was a vehicle for Glaxo to enter the Indonesian market by manufacturing one of its bestselling products, Zantac, in the country.

Over its 47 years of operation, Combiphar has established itself as a market leader for some products. It acquired Insto, one of the biggest eye drop brands in Indonesia, in 2014. To strengthen its presence in Asia Pacific, Combiphar bought over the world’s leading eye drop brand, Eye Mo, in 2016. After almost two years of absence in the market because of supply constraints, the relaunch of Eye Mo in the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia by Combiphar saw much success, and claimed chunks of market share within a short time.

Combiphar’s success is no accident. It is a result of thoughtful planning and implementation of strategies that propel the business forward in a highly competitive market. Since Michael’s appointment as CEO in 2011, the company has undergone substantial transformation in its business model, from being merely a manufacturer of generic drugs and medicines, to a company that actively advocates consumer health and wellbeing.

Despite having secured its place in the pharmaceutical market with two leading products – Insto eye drop and OBH Combi cough syrup – Combiphar saw a need to shift the focus from providing curative products to preventative healthcare. This is done by initiating campaigns that promote a healthy lifestyle in order to create a healthier Indonesian generation.

To bring the company’s commitment and spirit into live, Combiphar has initiated series of Corporate Social Responsibility programs evolving around sports and non-sports initiatives. For sports, Combiphar has performed Combi Run from 2013 and Combiphar Tennis Open and Combiphar Player’s Championship of Golf from 2016. For the non-sports initiative, the company has conducted Combi HOPE, which consists of two pillars – Healthy Living Education and Women Empowerment. The first pillar is carried out by enhancing healthcare literacy among senior high school students in Indonesia through a simple but practical educational module that covers preventative lifestyle, healthy living and lifestyle diseases awareness. The Women Empowerment pillar provides a platform for women to develop soft and hard skills that allow them to better support themselves and their families.

Successful businesses remain in the game by remaining relevant. Unfazed by the era of digitisation and e-commerce, Combiphar rode the wave of disruptive technological advancements by introducing MoCehat. The app provides a platform for consumers to connect directly with a pharmacy and make purchases online, making healthcare consumption more convenient and efficient.

Combiphar also collaborates with pharmacies in Indonesia to improve its product visibility and drive consumer purchases. Named the Solitaire Project, the goal of the collaboration is to not only increase sales but also enhance product awareness among the end consumers.

A company is as good as its people. Out of over 1,300 employees at Combiphar, almost 50 percent of the staff has been employed for more than five years. Michael believes that this retention rate is only achieved through empathetic and nurturing leadership.

After all, as a company that aims to uphold the health of its community, it should come as no surprise that the wellbeing of its employees is of utmost importance. Besides fostering rich relationships with employees and offering good compensations, Combiphar provides its employees with continuous learning and development opportunities. The C-Campus curriculum provides a series of development modules to advance its employees’ potential in four key areas – leadership, professionalism, manufacturing and commerce. Earning the Asia’s Leading SMEs award is no small feat, but it is one that Combiphar has proved more than capable of achieving.