Hovione may have made itself a name as a first-class manufacturer of regulated active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), but it still needs to compete on price for some of its business. As in many industries, one of the best ways to lower cost is to have a manufacturing base in China. That is what Hovione did in March 2008 when it acquired a 75% stake in Hisyn Pharmaceutical, an API manufacturer in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. The site is a four-hour drive from Shanghai.