Takeda is a company operating in more than 70 countries around the world, in Japan, the USA, Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region, and has more than 230 years of history. The company’s pharmaceutical products are sold in over 100 countries around the world. As Japan’s largest pharmaceutical company and one of the world leaders in the field, Takeda is committed to improving the health of patients around the world and enhancing their quality of life through leading drug innovation.
Again, it should be emphasized that the Japanese company Takeda is one of the largest manufacturers of prescription drugs. Such a significant result did not become a reason for the company to rest on its laurels – Takeda is actively developing: it creates innovative medicines and expands its presence in the global pharmaceutical market, both geographically and in therapeutic terms. As part of its global strategy, the company pays special attention to doing business in emerging markets to increase the availability of modern innovative drugs for residents of the respective countries (Takeda, 2021b).
The history of Takeda goes back to the days when samurai valor and the code of honor. It was founded in 1781 by the descendant of the legendary samurai family Chobei Takeda I, who opened a small shop in Osaka specializing in the sale of traditional Japanese and Chinese medicines. The liberalization of Japan’s foreign economic policy in the second half of the 19th century became a powerful impetus for business development. In 1871, Chobei Takeda IV organized and headed a cooperative importing Western medicines. The company supplied Japan with quinine, an antimalarial drug, and drugs for cholera (Takeda, 2021a).
At the initial stage, imports were organized with the participation of Western companies, but Takeda developed, and in 1895, direct imports of drugs from the UK, USA, Germany, etc., began. This made it possible, in a few years, to conclude an agreement on the exclusive distribution of medicines from the German company Bayer throughout Japan. The junction of the XIX and XX centuries was defining for the company. It was then that there was a reorientation to innovative drugs, first of Western production and then of our own. So, the company opened the first plant for the production of drugs and then – a research unit that developed sedatives, analgesics, and injectable forms of D-glucose. In 1925, Chobei Takeda V established Chobei Takeda & Co., Ltd., which was another step towards the creation of a large, integrated, innovative research and manufacturing company. She not only strengthened her position in the market of the Land of the Rising Sun but also began exporting her own medicines to China and the USA (Takeda, 2021a).
Rebuilding the business after World War II was a daunting challenge for the company, to which it responded with dignity. For example, in 1946, Takeda built a new vaccine plant on the ruins of a bombed-out naval arsenal in Hikari as part of a public-private partnership. The key changes that made Takeda one of the largest multinational pharmaceutical companies in the world took place in the second half of the 20th century in the wake of unprecedented economic growth, commonly known as the Japanese economic miracle (Takeda, 2021a).
The company needs assistance within the scope of the critical evaluation and providing recommendations regarding its activities within cell therapy logistics. This is a complex area, and the corporation seeks a competent person to deal with it, which is why I am needed. My project will be focused on the following: storage and temperature monitoring, secondary packaging and labeling, distribution, and transit and tracking. Takeda seems to expect concise, coherent, and significant work from me as a professional.
From my personal perspective, the client that will be served is a notable company that plays a substantial role in the industry’s framework. Its distribution scope and good reputation worldwide are the primary factors that allow perceiving Takeda in such a way. It is involved in the sphere, the main purpose of which is to help people with their health – in particular, cell therapy. The latter requires advanced management approaches in every activity undertaken.
The only concern that might take place during my cooperation with the client is that the mentioned industry is complex itself and might require an exact background in some cases. For instance, in order to assess the storage of the product appropriately, I should conduct research on specific characteristics that – at times – contain typical medical notions. Thus, this concern is mostly about additional time spent on getting acquainted with particular materials, which cannot be considered crucial.
Given the complexity of the sphere in which I will be involved, the experience that I will get may be referred to as one gained from resolving sophisticated managerial issues. Hence, I will considerably develop as a professional because obtaining this experience at an international company is the best way to achieve this. I am also counting on the acquaintance of many experts that will enrich my knowledge and assist in advancing my project-management skills.
References
Takeda. (2021a). Our history.
Takeda. (2021b). Our business.