Swiss pharmaceutical and biotech company Lonza is expanding its centralized services model, which currently covers finance, human resources, IT, and purchasing, to include additional functions such as quality control, supply chain, and marketing, the company confirmed to Keystone-ATS on Wednesday.
The move is part of a broader restructuring initiative, with certain activities and roles gradually being transferred to lower-cost centers, including some positions currently based in Visp. Lonza did not provide exact figures, but both the Unia trade union and canton Valais indicated that around 40 employees are expected to relocate.
Employees affected by the restructuring are on individual contracts rather than collective labor agreements, according to Barbara Lanthemann, industry union secretary at Unia Valais. Lonza stressed that employees who prefer not to move to India will have opportunities to continue their work at Visp or other company sites.
As part of this strategy, Lonza plans to establish a new center of excellence in Hyderabad, following existing centers in Manchester and San José (Costa Rica). The company said the Hyderabad hub will boost productivity, strengthen global working practices, and expand access to India’s talent pool, while supporting scalable and sustainable operations aligned with the company’s short- and long-term growth objectives.
Hyderabad was chosen for its strong reputation as a global IT and technology hub, with a population of over ten million and significant activity in software development, AI, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. Major tech firms like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have invested heavily in the city in recent years.
Lonza clarified that production functions, employing roughly 1,500 of its 4,500 Visp staff, are not affected by this relocation. The restructuring initiative, known internally as Project Orbit, aims to ensure scalable functional support for continued growth across production, operational, and commercial functions at the company’s main sites and markets.
