How it all began...
The international operating company acts as a specialist in the support, development and registration of global branded biocidal products and household cleaners and much more.
The story of success began on 10 December 2004 in Monheim am Rhein.
After the predecessor laboratory of the Bayer Group, which primarily worked with insecticides, was sold to SC Johnson in 2002 and the new owner in turn completely closed the department in 2004, the former employees and now company founders Mike Bublitz, Ulrike Müllewitz and Karl Heinz Lüpkes with consultant Wolfgang Hake identified the opportunity to write their own success story.
Just one year after its foundation, BioGenius was able to carry out 65 studies within the demanding Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and an additional 45 biological efficacy tests with the commitment of its 15 employees at the time. In addition, 13 insect species were established in the breeding programme. By the second year, the company already supported 20 customers.
The unique selling point of being able to combine product development, an analytical laboratory and biological efficacy tests in one company as a "360° complete package" guaranteed the company's early and sustained success.
Beginning of 2007, BioGenius moved with its 20 employees to its current location in Bergisch-Gladbach. Parallel to the company's growth, the laboratory space was doubled from 800 square metres to 1600 square metres.
Even in the following years of the economic crisis, the company managed to keep capacity utilisation high and secure jobs by launching projects funded under the Central Innovation Programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. A patent of a natural-based cockroach control method was the result.
BioGenius continued to grow as the economic situation eased. In July 2012, the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) replaced the Biocidal Products Directive (BPD) in European law. Manufacturers of biocides could rely on the fact that the now stricter requirements for the authorisation of their products could be tested and guaranteed accordingly in the testing facilities at BioGenius. BioGenius also expanded its product range in 2014: in addition to the service previously focussed on insecticides, the company also entered other groups of biocides, such as disinfectants.
To this end, the laboratory and office space at BioGenius was permanently expanded to up to 2800 square metres from 2010 to 2018. The number of employees rose to 25 by 2020. In the years from 2010 to 2018, turnover was between 2.5 - 3 million euros.
Since 2018, turnover has been steadily between 3 - 4 million euros.
In the course of the company's 20th anniversary, the first employees, some of whom have been with the company since its foundation, are going into their well-deserved retirement.
BioGenius has already identified its challenges for the near future. It was therefore decided that the future decision-makers should come from the company itself to ensure maximum stability and expertise.
Our next generation team!
Beginning of 2022, a dual leadership was established in the management with Mike Bublitz and Alexander Brux. In 2023, Dr Catherine Linn took over the management of the biological department and insect breeding from Karl-Heinz Lüpkes. Susann Bobe also took over responsibility as Head of Internal Quality Assurance. Together they take care to keep BioGenius up to date in terms of know-how but also in terms of being a competent employer of the future.
After 20 years full of pioneering spirit and innovation, BioGenius now has 28 employees, a customer base of more than 750 international customers and has established itself as an important player in the international biocides market.
This guarantees that BioGenius will continue to TEST TOGETHER and COMPETENT in the future.