Perfecting solid-dose manufacturing processes puts I Holland in a strong position to take on new international markets
Founded in 1946, I Holland is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of punches, dies and segments. Providing clients across various industries, including pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, confectionery, and industrial with bespoke manufacturing processes and innovative solutions at unparalleled speed and quality, has allowed the business to establish itself as one of the world’s foremost tablet compression tooling manufacturers. As Managing Director, Javier Raposo, begins: “We have a long history. It’s been nearly 80 years since the company first started trading from a small engineering workshop in Nottingham. Since then, the business has grown substantially. We started making punches and dies for tablet engineering, essentially the tools you need to make tablets like ibuprofen and aspirin, which allowed us to fill a gap in the market. Today, anything that you consume in tablet form, whether it’s a medicine or a dietary supplement, has likely been given its round, oval, or designer shape using our components.
“We were also the first tooling manufacturers to figure out how to emboss words on tablets, which meant pharmaceutical companies could identify each individual
product. You’ll now see the product, chemical name, or dosage on most prescription and over-the-counter tablets, and that comes back to us. It’s made a huge difference in the industry, and the company has grown exponentially ever since. Today, I Holland exports all types of tablet tooling across the world.
“In a normal year, we supply to around 90 countries worldwide from our home base in Long Eaton, UK. This makes us the largest-reaching supplier in our industry and a real hub of activity for the past 80 years. For a relatively small company, our international footprint is extremely remarkable. We export around 90 percent of our products to other countries, primarily those in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.”
With an established presence in over 100 countries, I Holland is taking on the rest of the world, as Javier reveals: “Our strategy now is all about geographical expansion. We’re trying to go to new countries and territories where we currently have little presence. Some countries have more limited pharmaceutical operations, which means demand for our services is much lower, but that doesn’t mean there are no opportunities to be had. Alongside our expansion efforts in new territories, we are also looking at consolidating our share in existing markets. To do this, we have made efforts to improve customer experience and accessibility - providing training solutions, tooling maintenance equipment, and tooling management systems, for example.
“Ultimately, we’ve been in this business for so long that nothing really scares us. We are happy to take on the unfamiliar if it means furthering our cause and supporting the brand. We can go to any market, anywhere in the world, and find a way to build relationships and do trade. We’re also very familiar with pharmaceutical regulations in other countries, which allows us to trade across international borders. It takes persistence, some areas are particularly strict about foreign exports, but again, our history, reputation, and determination always see us through to the other side.
“Another one of our expansion strategies is looking for local companies, or even individual local contacts, who can help us establish a presence in the region. They speak the language, operate in the same time zone, and therefore can act as our ambassadors. They provide a vital service that’s more immediate than anything we can achieve via email or on the phone. Speed of response is one of our core values, and having people on the ground is one way we can prove to potential new customers how we hold true to that.”
Timing was of the essence in 2020, when I Holland stepped in to provide pharmaceutical companies the essential services they needed to survive a global pandemic. “Demand for our core offering stayed strong during 2020 and 2021, as the Covid crisis hit countries across the world. We remained open during all the lockdowns, operating 24/7 as a key component of the pharmaceutical supply chain. We were even involved in the production of an oral medicine produced by Pfizer that combats Covid-19. We produced the tablet tooling in record time, taking it from the design and concept stages, right through to engineering, so fast that it was being manufactured in the US, Germany, and Italy within a few weeks for a supply globally.”
Having cemented itself as a reliable partner in times of need, the future is bright for I Holland and its team. As Javier concludes: “In the future, I would like to see the company continuing to do what it does best – just on a larger scale. Opening new markets is going to be vital for our success going forward. I’d like to add another 20-to-30 countries to the books over the next few years, and alongside that, continue to lead the market being true to our six core values: customer service, speed of response, pride in what we do, continuous improvement, honesty and integrity, and positive attitude.” ■