Industrial Enzymes Profits and Demand Are Strong

An extensive Internet search and analysis have identified four public companies with significant industrial enzymes sales.  These companies are: Novozymes; DuPont; DSM; and Chr Hansen.   In Novozymes' 2013 annual report, the company estimates that the total global industrial enzymes sales for all companies to be more than $3.9 billion, a 5% increase over the 2012 global sales.   The report states that Novozymes is the global sales leader in industrial enzymes products, with 48% of the market, followed by DuPont with 20%, DSM with 6%, and others with 24%.

The four companies indicate in their annual reports (annual reports can be read at the companies’ websites) high growth expectations for future sales of enzymes products.  And, each company indicates that industrial enzymes research and development is expected to lead to more enzymes uses in several industry sectors.

The following data and information relate to the above four companies’ industrial enzymes businesses.  The data and information are from the companies' 2013 annual reports.

Novozymes   Unlike the other four companies, Novozymes sales are predominantly industrial enzymes; therefore, computing a reasonably accurate gross profit margin percentage (GPM%) for enzymes sales is possible (most of the reported total company sales and cost of sales are enzymes revenues and costs).   Novozymes’ GPM% in 2013 was 57%.  Novozymes had about $2 billion in total sales in 2013.

DuPont   DuPont became the second largest provider of enzymes products with its 2011 acquisition of the Danish company Danisco, which at that time was the second largest enzymes provider, behind Novozymes.  DuPont’s industrial enzymes business is in its industrial biosciences segment and from the company’s 2013 annual report, enzymes represented 79% of the segments sales, or $950,000,000.  

DSM   DSM in 2012 acquired enzymes businesses of the US companies Cargill and Verenium to increase its own enzymes business.  DSM enzymes business focuses on the food and beverage industry and DSM has its enzymes business in its Food Specialties Division.  In 2013, the Food Specialties Division had about $558,000,000 in sales, most of which were enzymes products.  This sales amount was about 13.5% higher than 2012 sales.

Chr Hansen   61% of Chr Hansen’s 2013 sales were enzymes products. This 61% represented about $600,000,000 in sales.  The overall GPM% for all Chr Hansen sales was 85%.   With 61% of the sales enzymes, it is likely that enzymes sales had a high GPM% (as enzymes sales do at Novozymes, which was 57% in 2013).   Chr Hansen enzymes are exclusively for the food industry.

The total approximate enzymes sales for the four companies provided above comes to $4.1 billion, which is reasonably close to what Novozymes estimated in its annual report for the global enzymes sales in 2013 (which was $3.9 billion).  These four companies probably account for most of the industrial enzyme products sold globally in 2013.

The data and information presented above indicates that profits in the industrial enzymes business are strong and that future enzymes demand is expected to be high.