On June 8 IDT Biologika celebrated the 25th anniversary of its privatization with a summer festival in Dessau-Roßlau for all of its employees. On March 1, 1993 the businessman Hartmut Klocke acquired the Impfstoffwerk Dessau-Tornau vaccine plant, then numbering 125 employees, from the Treuhand trust. Today, IDT Biologika is a globally-active manufacturer of vaccines and pharmaceuticals for humans and animals, with over 2,000 employees worldwide, the majority of which are at the Dessau-Roßlau site.
“Without rabies there would be no IDT Biologika today.” With these words and a review of the early days Hartmut Klocke opened his speech to commemorate 25 years of privatization. At the beginning of the 1990s the businessman became aware that what was then Impfstoffwerk Dessau-Tornau was infringing a patent of his company for an innovative fox bait to tackle rabies. He initiated court proceedings, which led to first contact with the then company management of the Dessau-based company.
Instead of insisting on the settlement of his patent claims totaling several million Deutschmarks – and plunging the plant into an existential spiral – Hartmut Klocke accepted the offer of the Treuhandgesellschaft to purchase the company. As a businessman with a medium-sized company, this was a huge step, which encountered several obstacles. “The foundation stone is always the most difficult to lay. I put 100 percent on one horse, on IDT. And, working together, we achieved new successes year for year. I would like to thank all employees who were with us in the early days for the mutual trust,” said Klocke, whose speech was frequently interrupted by the applause of those present.
The Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Dr. Reiner Haseloff, praised IDT on its anniversary as the largest production company in the state and an excellent example of private sector commitment. Since 1993 the Klocke Group has invested 500 million euros in its main site alone. Dr. Haseloff emphasized that the state government would continue to stand by the company in the future, ensuring that Saxony-Anhalt remains a strong and globally-recognized pharmaceuticals location.
To mark the 25th anniversary of privatization the IDT directing managers Andreas Kastenbauer and Dr. Christian Wirth were able to welcome the proprietor family of IDT, Carsten and Stefan Klocke. The three former IDT directing managers since 1993, Dr. Heinz Hofmann, Dr. Gert Barysch and Dr. Ralf Pfirmann, also travelled to Dessau for the celebrations. At the summer festival, organized by the IDT works council, all of the evening’s speakers emphasized the importance of all employees in the successful growth of the company.
P.S.: According to the standards of the World Organization for Animal Health, thanks to the vaccines of IDT Biologika, rabies has been eradicated in Germany since April 2008 – nearly ten years exactly.