Plants Tour

Our journey begins in Stein, Syngenta’s Swiss research and development center, where chemists and biologists come together to create innovative solutions for the problems farmers face in the fields, such as disease, pests and climate stress.

Here we meet Computational Chemist Anna Sophia Albertini, just one of the many people at the exciting frontline of discovery.

Albertini embraces new technology and ways of learning and says innovation is the mainstay of their every day.

She says: “As a scientist at Syngenta innovation is our job. Every day we are creating new chemistry targeting safe, sustainable and effective products, which reduce the amount of AI required on the field, withstand new resistant strains, and are fit to face the increasing challenges of climate change. The fact that we can have an impact on all of this still blows my mind on a daily basis.”

Embracing new technology is something Syngenta is passionate about and in Switzerland researchers and scientists blend science and artificial intelligence with machine-learning-based algorithms, to help them speed up the time it takes them to find the right molecules that end up going into production.

Albertini says: “As a computational chemist, I use computer modeling and simulation tools to help create new active ingredients. I work with scientists from different fields, starting from brainstorming new molecule ideas all the way through to testing them in real-life conditions.”

She explains that computational chemistry uses physics- and artificial-intelligence-based algorithms to estimate how new molecules would behave in different testing scenarios.

“In crop protection, we use these simulations to design active ingredients fitting our safety, efficacy and sustainability targets while decreasing the number of laboratory and field tests. So, in short you could say we are moving our innovation from labs and fields to computers,” she says.

From initial discovery and research at Stein, our molecule heads to Les Barges, one of Syngenta’s Swiss field stations and early-stage development trials site with stunning mountain views in the canton of Valais, dedicated to studying active ingredients in 50 hectares of fields on-site. Research demands a lot of testing which is upscaled from the labs in Stein to the field station at Les Barges.

Syngenta conducts more than 200 trials here every year, from the very first field trial to approval trials. The location is key, allowing the work at Les Barges to benefit from good weather conditions for conducting trials in insect control, weed control, disease control, soil and plant health, and professional solutions. The work of our dedicated field scientists takes us one step closer to making the right solutions for farmers.

Environmental considerations form a key part of the scope of the trials, says Loïc Motry, a Field Scientist based at Les Barges. Specializing in insect control and soil and plant health trials, he is pivotal in evaluating the effectiveness of new products and assessing their impact on the environment.

He says: “We need to be more attentive to the environment and look after it. For example, in the case of crop protection products, we are testing their effectiveness in combination with other organic products, and with auxiliary insects which are beneficial for crops and pest control.”

Innovation abounds at Les Barges, where they also test new assessment technologies such as drone imagery and mobile apps to help count insects, as well as trialing precision spraying techniques to ensure targeted spraying, leading to a reduction in the amount of application required on-farm – benefiting both the environment and farmers’ bottom lines.

Proud of the work that he does and the positive impact it has for years to come, Motry adds: “Les Barges is an innovative center where new products and technologies are tested to give farmers around the world tools to ensure a future of sustainable agriculture.”

Innovation in the field: Many newly-launched Syngenta products have been tested at Les Barges, including ADEPIDYN® technology.
Farmers in more than 55 countries now have access to ADEPIDYN® technology. A powerful fungicide compound offering a solution that effectively fights fusarium head blight in wheat, which produces mycotoxins that contaminate harvests and threaten human and animal health. It also offers a step-change in performance against a wide spectrum of other important diseases, such as septoria in wheat and net blotch in barley.
ADEPIDYN® technology embodies Syngenta’s commitment to sustainable innovation, core to its new group-wide Sustainability Priorities announced in April 2024.
Find out more about ADEPIDYN® technology here.

Our next stop is Münchwilen, a prominent agricultural area with deep roots in manufacturing. Syngenta’s plant here is dedicated to the formulation and development of products and the team focuses on the rapid transformation of inventions to solutions, taking promising molecules to the next stage of development. From large scale exploration at Les Barges, chemicals go through a formulation process to ensure safe and sustainable mass production.

Creating world-class solutions for farmers around the world requires effective quality control. Rico Bürgi is a Senior Scientist in the Process Technology New Active Ingredients department at Münchwilen. He plays a key role in monitoring reactions and determining quality.

He says: “As a global development site, we strive to create solutions that are safe and as user-friendly as possible. With our work, we can offer customers innovative products and solutions for optimal plant protection.

“At Münchwilen, the molecules are not only produced in larger quantities for the first time, they are also analyzed, formulated and tested for their properties. The active ingredient must first be formulated after production, as the farmer cannot simply apply it in its pure form to his field."

Making exciting discoveries that make a difference is what drives the Swiss teams every day. Seeing innovation in action and being able to bring real benefits to growers in the field is reflected in everyone’s role, no matter where they are in the journey.

Bürgi adds: “My role involves developing a manufacturing process for the molecule that was passed to us by research. The ultimate goal is to be able to produce the molecule on a large scale, taking ecological and economic aspects into account. In every project there are key moments when you make a discovery that allows you to shape the process to be suitable for production.”

Sustainability is embedded in each site throughout Switzerland, and at Münchwilen this means ensuring production processes are as sustainable as possible.

Bürgi says: “With the selection of more environmentally-friendly solvents and chemicals, the foundation for sustainable production processes can be laid. Of course, we also aim to achieve the required cost of production. For this we also test new technologies such as continuous-flow, photo or electrochemistry, which are excellent examples of innovation.

“The demand for sustainable processes has grown. From an early stage of development, computer modelling, and experiments help us better understand the amount of energy consumed, waste produced and how to optimize those parameters. Procedures and processes, both new and ones that have existed for years, are being improved to help us meet sustainability targets.”

Once a product is formulated at Münchwilen, our molecule’s journey moves on to the ‘youngest’ Syngenta site - Muttenz.

Acquired from Novartis in 2020, it supports Syngenta’s innovation pipeline and provides additional production capacity for new product introductions. Before an active substance can be mass-produced, it goes through a transition phase: New Active Ingredient Sourcing (NAIS), a process a product goes through during its first 4-5 years of its production life.

Safety is paramount in the lifecycle of the products from the lab to production. Benjamin Mougel is a Production Chemist at Muttenz and is currently working on finalizing processes for safe and efficient production of PLINAZOLIN® technology.

He says: “As an active ingredient production plant, our goal is to produce the desired amount of active ingredients to fulfil demand. With our work, we can deliver to farmers around the world in time so they can use our products to increase their production and feed the growing population.

“When all the preparation is done, I ensure production is safe, stable and reaching the desired KPIs. I also work on process improvement to help reduce the costs and increase the yield.”

Innovation in the field: What is PLINAZOLIN® technology?
A new and innovative trademarked active ingredient from Syngenta with a novel Mode of Action (IRAC Group 30) for insect control that will help growers protect their crops from a wide range of pests.
PLINAZOLIN® technology delivers a new standard of performance, particularly against pests for which existing products no longer can provide effective control.
Delivering unprecedented insect control on stinkbugs, mites, thrips, caterpillars, flies, and beetles, it is available for use in over 40 crops, including soybean, corn, rice, coffee, cotton, and a wide range of fruits and vegetables.
Find out more about PLINAZOLIN® technology here.

The site at Muttenz has been designed to benefit from an energy efficient infrastructure. It is set up to use gravity as a driving force through its floors, moving the production process from one step to another with less energy.

Mougel says: “Muttenz is a world class production site with all the great assets we have. The plant is really big, and we have a lot of reactors, filters and dryers. We have the capacity to run several processes at the same time in different lines.”

Taking the scenic route, our molecule makes its way to the largest of our Swiss production sites, and one of the largest crop protection production sites in the world – Monthey.

Situated in the breathtaking Valais canton – home of the Matterhorn, what began as a sugar factory in 1892, the Monthey site has evolved and grown with the various innovations in chemistry. Today, it is a strategic manufacturing site for Syngenta and activities are mainly related to crop protection.

Sustainability and energy efficiency are key themes at Monthey. The team embraces new technology such as AI, drones and robots in the production chain and champion sustainable operations with the use of hydro power and waste recycling or ‘green steam’ – part of an ambitious 10-year plan to reduce CO2 emissions at the site. It is also ‘Go Carbon Free’ certified, a local certification supporting sustainable operations.

Looking outwards, Syngenta Monthey exports 99 percent of its production: 30,000 tons of product leaves the site each year. Around 20 km of rail and 130 km of pipeline, set over 120 hectares contribute to this achievement. Monthey has benefited from significant investment over the years to maintain production at the cutting edge of technology which respects the environment.

The Muttenz and Monthey sites both support the production of new active substances (NAIS) and initiate their marketing after the successful completion of the pilot phase.

The Monthey team is proud that their work locally helps find solutions to global problems. Nicolas Dupont is a Production Manager at the Monthey site, he says: “We receive the processes from Münchwilen from the pilot phase – this is the first time where we see production on an industrial scale, and we have to create these molecules to support the first sales in markets around the world.

“To know that our work contributes to providing quality products to farmers who can then produce and provide food for the world is something that is incredibly motivating – being able to say that my work matters.”

PLANT SUSTAINABILITY
Did you know that a key part of the emissions reduction plan at Monthey is the Ecotube project?
This includes around 3 km of pipelines between the thermal recycling company Satom SA and the production site in Monthey. The demineralized water is sent to Satom SA, which converts it into steam by incinerating waste. This steam is fed back into the production processes at Monthey. This halves CO2 emissions and saves around 45,000 tons of CO2 per year – the equivalent of planting 270,000 trees.
In addition, the Monthey site has been utilizing hydropower from the River Vièze for energy production since 1910, which today supplies a third of the power plant's electrical energy.

From Monthey, our molecule heads to Kaisten in the north of Switzerland. A picturesque, perfectly placed and cost-effective investment for Syngenta, Kaisten was built in 1996 as a high-performance production site supplying the largest volume in the world of major ingredients for an AI. With just 55 workers on-site, it is a small but highly knowledgeable, collaborative team.

Marcel Zumstein is a Plant Engineer at Kaisten. He is responsible for any problems and malfunctions in the technical plant components and is involved in various projects that concern sustainability, production improvements or the acquisition of new system parts.

Zumstein says: “I am the problem solver for any mechanical malfunctions. We are a small and family-like team of 55 people here in Kaisten. The way we interact with each other and the way we can quickly get clarifications and decisions made are the biggest advantages of working here. You run into each other every day.”

The site is fully automated to produce one key ingredient of Syngenta products, all year round. This automation allows for uninterrupted production and reduces safety risks to staff.

Zumstein says: “The system has the highest level of automation of all Syngenta plants. But that doesn't mean that you just press a start/stop button to run the system. Our production team is very experienced and well trained to react to any issues or changes in production load.”