We can still do it!

2 days ago, I payed a visit to Gelita and RP Sherer in Eberbach. The first is specialized in producing gelatin for food and Pharma use, the latter is a market leader in producing soft gelatin capsules.

It was really interesting to see the whole process, from gelatin production, till the manufactire of the high value capsules. What really amazed me was the relatively simple process of gelatin production. It is a very old process, and it must be hard for Gelta to keep the production in Germany despite their high prices and the strong competition with China and India. As I heard the description of what they do, it was clear to me that it's the quality of their products that allowed them to keep the production sites in Germany. More importantly, the know-how, experience, and progresses which they developped over the years. For instance, they have 200 different types of gelatin! I also learned that they can't say at the begining of the batch production that this batch will have these and these properties. Instead, batches are mixed to give the required properties. For this, they measue 30 different characteristics for each batch. It's clear that they have developped lots of experience over the years.

Building a gelatin producing plant is relatively easy, but developping this experience is not easy. However, we can stil do it! We can reach their level, if only we had the funds and the time. It's only a matter of a good and strong collective/political will!