Medical Innovations that Save Lives: The Role of AI at dsm-firmenich Biomedical

The new office on Wilhelminasingel in Maastricht is a beautiful renovated historical monument connected seamlessly with a modern new building—perfectly symbolizing the company's historical roots and its innovative character. Founded in 1902 as a state mining company, DSM transitioned in the 1970s to petrochemicals and plastics after the closure of Dutch mines. By the 1990s, it focused increasingly on sustainable and innovative solutions such as dietary supplements, healthcare materials, and biotechnological applications. This shift in focus transformed DSM into a globally recognized company contributing to a more sustainable future.

Strategic Alliance: In 2023, DSM merged with Swiss fragrance and flavor company Firmenich, forming the new entity dsm-firmenich. This merger combined DSM’s expertise in nutrition, health, and biosciences with Firmenich’s fragrance and flavor innovations, creating a global leader in nutrition, health, and beauty. Now publicly listed, dsm-firmenich operates in nearly 60 countries and generates over 12 billion euros in revenue, with a global workforce of almost 30,000 employees.

Guyomard Beckers, after an international career with DSM in Singapore, Switzerland, and the U.S., is returning to Maastricht, where he spent much of his life. “It’s a pleasure,” he says, “because you really come to appreciate Maastricht after years abroad.” In his new role as General Manager of dsm-firmenich’s Biomedical Netherlands, his expertise in digital transformation fits perfectly.

“dsm-firmenich helps keep a growing global population healthy,” says Beckers. “We work in both preventive, therapeutic, and restorative health. For instance, we create supplements that support health, as well as baby food and fortified nutrition to combat malnutrition. Additionally, we assist in patient treatment and recovery with products like medical nutrition, pharmaceutical solutions, and biomedical materials. Patients worldwide use our medical devices to improve their quality of life and receive better care during illness and recovery.”

Biomedical Solutions: dsm-firmenich provides solutions for nutrition, health, and beauty, including essential innovations in healthcare and medical technology. “For example, high-quality materials for medical implants, like stent coatings that prevent rejection and are more compatible with the body. We also produce sustainable capsules and tablets for medications and biodegradable materials for plasters and bandages that accelerate healing. We’re also advancing tissue engineering using biomaterials to restore tissue, such as bone and cartilage growth. All these innovations make medical treatments safer and more effective.”

Biomedical, part of Health, Nutrition & Care at dsm-firmenich, is an industry leader in biomaterials that work with the human body to provide safe and effective recovery solutions for patients worldwide. Every second, somewhere in the world, a patient receives a medical device with a dsm-firmenich biomaterial.

Health Innovators: Examples of innovations currently being developed by dsm-firmenich include the patented Comfort Coat, a lubricating coating developed in the Geleen laboratories that makes life a bit more comfortable for thousands of patients daily. Additionally, the strong and flexible Ulteeva Purity™ fiber is used in orthopedic surgeries as a durable alternative to metal, which can wear out or cause irritation over time. We’re also working on new solutions for drug delivery, where medicines are efficiently released in the body over an extended period in controlled amounts. We leverage our expertise in materials for these kinds of innovations.

These exciting developments contribute to improving and even saving lives. Automation, data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) are increasingly crucial in bringing such innovative solutions to fruition, says Beckers.

Time-to-Market Challenges: “One major challenge in the medical industry is the long time required to bring a product from research to market. This process is slowed down by strict safety requirements, lengthy preclinical and clinical tests, and detailed approval procedures. Data generation, analysis, and documentation play a significant role. In our field, we spend 50% of our time developing the product and 50% on generating the supporting data and documentation. In recent years, we have invested heavily in data and information management across various Biomedical departments, as a solid foundation is crucial for the successful application of AI. AI enables the analysis of large data volumes and faster identification of promising molecules and ingredients for Biomedical innovations. It also optimizes our supply chain and production processes, allowing us to better support our customers. In general, data management, analysis, and AI contribute to higher efficiency, lower costs, and faster production, approval, and market introduction.”

Digital Value: All this technology may seem daunting, but Beckers sees it as a way to accelerate innovation and relieve employees and companies through a different way of working. “AI is here to stay. At dsm-firmenich Biomedical, we have taken on the challenge and are rapidly discovering how to apply it. Even for small- and medium-sized enterprises, there are numerous areas where AI can add value, such as customer service, purchasing, marketing, and risk management. A good starting point is to ask yourself where your biggest pain points and challenges lie. Think, for example, of the effort needed to produce marketing content. With AI, you can now create high-quality content in a fraction of the time. SMEs can use AI to increase their efficiency, reduce costs, and respond better to their customers’ needs. However, it’s essential to remember that you can’t optimize everything at once; it’s about continuous learning and making adjustments based on applications. That’s how we do it, too.”

For original publication in Dutch, click here.

About dsm-firmenich

As innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, dsm-firmenich reinvents, manufactures, and combines vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances for the world’s growing population to thrive. With our comprehensive range of solutions, with natural and renewable ingredients and renowned science and technology capabilities, we work to create what is essential for life, desirable for consumers, and more sustainable for the planet. dsm-firmenich is a Swiss-Dutch company, listed on the Euronext Amsterdam, with operations in almost 60 countries and revenues of more than €12 billion. With a diverse, worldwide team of nearly 30,000 employees, we bring progress to life™ every day, everywhere, for billions of people.

About Biomedical

As the world’s unrivaled biomaterials expert and committed partner in driving sustainable innovation in healthcare, Biomedical is at the forefront of biomaterial science and process innovation. The company’s technologies and support are recognized for their unmatched quality, reliability, and performance in multiple markets worldwide.