arxada, a specialty chemicals giant, is putting the valais region on the map

arxada’s history began in july 2021, when the investment firms bain capital and cinven finalized the acquisition of the specialty ingredients division of the lonza group. the entity, initially named lsi, was renamed arxada in october of the same year. this name, derived from the latin words arx and arcis—meaning citadel and fortress—reflects the company’s mission: to protect its customers’ products through microbial control technologies.

shortly after its founding, arxada rapidly expanded its portfolio by acquiring troy corporation, a specialist in performance additives, as well as enviro tech chemical services, a recognized player in biocides and disinfectants. the company has since continued its global growth through major strategic partnerships, such as an agreement signed in 2026 with clorox healthcare to develop sporicidal disinfection technology.

today, arxada serves markets as diverse as professional hygiene, paints and coatings, wood protection, home and personal care, and human health and nutrition. its mission: to help its customers design safer, more sustainable, and higher-performing products, drawing on decades of expertise in chemistry, microbiology, and biotechnology.

visp, a leading industrial and scientific site

arxada’s site in valais, which has operated as a public limited company (sa) since 2019, stands out for its dual focus on research and manufacturing. it is one of the group’s seven sites that combine these two activities—an asset that enables it to support its customers from concept through to industrial production, without any intermediate piloting stages.

with over 40 years of experience as a cdmo (contract development and manufacturing organization), visp specializes exclusively in the manufacture of advanced intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

the site relies on five highly flexible and interconnected multi-purpose chemical complexes, comprising a total of 22 production units and a combined reactor volume of 670 m³, enabling the processing of quantities ranging from a few grams to several metric tons.

this industrial flexibility is also underpinned by upstream integration: several key reagents, such as ketene, hydrocyanic acid, and ammonia, are produced directly on-site. visp thus masters a wide range of synthesis technologies. the site also complies with various international quality standards.

a strong commitment to decarbonization

since its founding, arxada has placed sustainability at the heart of its strategy. the visp site exemplifies this ambition through a comprehensive decarbonization plan, which has led to a significant reduction in its emissions.

among the technologies implemented, vapor compression plays a key role in niacin production. its principle is similar to that of a heat pump: energy is reused and then “pumped” to a usable temperature level using electricity. the introduction of this system both reduces co₂ emissions and cuts energy consumption by a factor of ten.