Past and future

The Fortune 500 Germany-headquartered enterprise, Bayer AG, has a history of more than 150 years, comprising about 307 subsidiaries throughout the world.

With the slogan "Science for a better life", the company mainly focuses on healthcare and agriculture.

On Dec 31, 2015, Bayer AG had 116,800 employees worldwide.

It entered Chinese market in 1882, and is now represented by three business divisions: pharmaceuticals, consumer health and crop science.

Greater China, including the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, has become Bayer's largest single market in Asia, accounting for sales of more than 4.5 billion euros ($4.74 billion) in 2015, and gross employment of about 14,000 people by the end of 2015.

The factory in Beijing was founded in 1996, mainly producing prescription medicine related to chronic disease, including the company's cardiovascular and anti-diabetes products.

In 2014, Bayer invested approximately 100 million euros for the extension program of the factory, which included the construction of fully automated logistic areas, modern analytical laboratories, and high-speed packaging lines with integrated IT solutions. The program was announced official operation on Nov 18, 2016.

(China Daily 11/25/2016 page7)