''The area has a solid technical character''
Interview with Arthur Oudshoorn from Applikon Biotechnology, one of the first campus residents
By: Jurjen Slump
Back in 2013, biotech company Applikon was one of the first to set up shop on the southern part of the TU Delft Campus. Arthur Oudshoorn, the company’s managing director, says that the manufacturer of bioreactor systems is happy in Delft. Applikon recently underwent major expansion.
“Have you been vaccinated?” Oudshoorn chips in during the conversation in his office. The response is in the affirmative. “Then the vaccine in your injection was probably made in one of our reactors,” he says. “Our equipment is located at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, where the vaccines are produced.”
Bioreactors
Applikon is an instrumentation company that manufactures bioreactor systems: equipment in which micro-organisms can be cultivated. Primarily for the production of medicines and vaccines. The company – founded in 1973 – sells its products all over the world; more than 95 per cent of their sales are international. Major pharmaceutical companies are amongst their clients.
In the past three years, the company has supplied the equipment for factories in countries such as China, South-Korea and Indonesia, for the production of a polio vaccine. In parts of the world, polio still represents a major threat to public health. These are World Health Organisation projects, with which Applikon is involved.
China
There are large packages in the production hall of the company on Heertjesweg are waiting to be shipped. China, Argentina and the Czech Republic are some of the destinations. However, Applikon’s involvement does not end once the equipment has left Delft. The company also maintains the systems. “The factories that we built in China in 1996 are still operational,” says Oudshoorn. Applikon’s equipment is ‘very reliable’.
Applikon moved to the TU Delft Campus in 2013. “Before then, we were located in an old industrial complex in Schiedam. We outgrew the location, and we missed the high-tech clean room look, that our customers expect”, explains Oudshoorn. In order to avoid staff leaving the company, Applikon looked for a new location close by. Once the TU Delft Campus was suggested, the search was over. “We were the first company here.”
130 FTEs are employed here in Delft, more than 40 of whom are in research and development
King Willem-Alexander
“The area has a solid technical character,” says Oudshoorn. The proximity of Delft University of Technology naturally helps. The company’s new headquarters were opened by King Willem-Alexander. The ease of access to the location, and its central position in the Randstad area also appeal to Oudshoorn.Applikon is a high-tech company, with a keen focus on innovation. “130 FTEs are employed here in Delft, more than 40 of whom are in research and development,” explains Oudshoorn. “We think that it is important to stay ahead of the game when it comes to technology.” The company also collaborates with Delft University of Technology on the development of new applications. For example, Applikon teamed up with Delft University of Technology researchers to develop software packages used to run the bioreactor systems.
“We enjoy a good relationship,” comments Oudshoorn on the collaboration. “We regularly welcome graduates and interns from Delft University of Technology.”
Expansion
The company has grown exponentially since 2013. “The expectation was that the new building would be large enough to accommodate us for a few years, but we expanded quicker than expected.” When the company secured a few large orders from China and Indonesia two years ago, there was no other option than to substantially extend the building. “The surface area more than doubled,” says Oudshoorn. The building is now 5,500 m2.Applikon is no longer the only company on the southern part of the campus. In the meantime, Exact, 3M and VSL/NMI also all moved to Delft. And Applikon will soon have new neighbours. Cranes next to the building are lifting things into place for the new quarters for technology company ABB, which is constructing a new complex for the R&D of loading systems for electric vehicles.
That is why we exist. With our bioreactor systems, we make it possible for our clients to make products that improve quality of life
New neighbours
Oudshoorn welcomes all of this activity. As another high-tech company, ABB is a fine addition to the campus. Oudshoorn does hope that more biotech companies make their way to the TU Delft Campus in the future, so that Delft University of Technology can properly distinguish itself from the competition in the field of life sciences. “But I understand that attracting companies is a complex matter. Macro-economic concerns also often play a role, and you have little control of them.”
Quality of life
Oudshoorn joined Applikon in 1990. He himself studied at Delft University of Technology: chemical technology, specialising in bioprocess technology. He passionately tells of what drives him and his colleagues: striving for a better quality of life. “That is why we exist. With our bioreactor systems, we make it possible for our clients to make products that improve quality of life.”
This is a principle that ‘runs throughout the company’, he says. “Ensure that people do not get ill.” The knowledge that children in the Netherlands avoid illness thanks to a vaccine produced using Applikon equipment is what inspires the company. “That drives us forward.”