傳統食品及藥品廠商轉型升級生物科技產業之發展策略

Abstract

自古以來食補養生觀念普遍深植東西方人心中，其目的在藉以「補充」平日因經濟環境惡劣所導致營養攝取的不足，這個時期的「食補」素材侷限在天然動植物，如華人世界的中草藥，此即保健食品之濫觴，隨著經濟條件的改善，生活水準的提高、衛生教育的普及、社會型態的改變，儘管人們對「補」的態度沒有改變，但目的卻全然不同。首先，經濟情況改善，使人們愈來愈在乎生活品質，也就是希望能有健康的身體來盡情享受金錢的餘裕、時間的空閒。其次，人類社會型態、生活環境的改變，則使文明病（多膳食相關疾病）顯著增加。第三，醫療技術的快速進步使人們在平均壽命增加時，對延緩老化、維持生理機能的需求日益殷切。而這些正是一九八○年代末期一九九○年代初期以來，保健食品市場蓬勃發展最主要的原因，伴隨其間醫學、生命科學、營養學與食品加工技術的進步，配合快節奏的工商社會步調，這個時期的「食補」素材則進入強調功效，便利的第二、三代保健食品，其來源可能是天然的、可能是化學合成的，其型態可能是膠囊、錠劑、液狀。這是由消費者的需求觀點看保健食品市場的機會。 其次，由保健食品的廠商供給面而論，台灣最早期的保健食品走的是休閒性食品的路線，不重視專業。七十年代自美引進傳銷制度後，曾於民國七十年代中期創造風潮，也造就出靈芝、花粉等明星級產品。由於多層次傳銷口耳相傳、吃好鬥相報及消費者、經銷商一體的操作模式，配合保健食品重功效、重教育、重安全的產品特質，使其一直以來均是保健食品的最主要通路，極盛期甚至高達八∼九成的市場佔有率。近年來，由於食品、飲料業長期缺乏技術支持，只是拚大量、拚價格、拚口味、拼贈品的短線操作方式，而使市場進入空前的白熱化競爭。此外，台灣製藥業始終停留在以生產學名藥為主的製劑廠商階段，同樣因不具技術而競日低價殺伐。因此在傳統食品、藥品廠商中，即有不少業者意欲藉轉型、升級、多角化經營另闢戰場，規避其間的短線衝突，以突破發展上的瓶頸，而似藥非藥，似食品非食品的保健食品，則成為商廠轉型、多角化發展的良好標的。是故，由供給面觀之，保健食品市場在傳統的保健食品廠商外，近年來增加不少為轉型、多角化而來的傳統食品、藥品廠，如統一、味全、大成、台糖、嘉食化、中化、生達、葡萄王…等，徒然攪亂一池春水。 再由大環境而論，台灣地域、人口的侷限性使保健食品面臨市場飽合的發展困境；高價的傳銷產品與非必需的保健食品，則在「亞洲金融風暴」後，台灣景氣步向蕭條的過程中敗下陣來；WTO的加入、國內市場的開放，則讓挾品牌優勢、價格優勢與技術優勢的國際大廠長驅直入。此外，民國八十八年頒布施行的「健康食品管理法」，由於立法的急就章與獨步全球的定義和管理方式，加上，主管機關的宣導不足與執法的操切，則造成保健食品產業發展的嚴重阻礙。因此，儘管全球保健食品市場需求持續成長，但國內產業卻面臨需求停滯萎縮、供給不斷增加、法規嚴格限制、消費者認知不足與國際大廠威脅的嚴苛景況。 在快速成長近二十年後，台灣保健食品產業出現前所未有的發展瓶頸（窘境），轉型、升級朝高技術門檻、高附加價值方向邁進是絕大多數廠商面對困境的因應之道。而近年來迅速崛起，深受矚目的新興科技－生物科技－遂成為眾人索引頸企盼扭轉乾坤的寄託了。因此，亟思轉型升級以求突破的傳統保健食品廠商遂以新生物技術的導入，提高商品附加價值、企業競爭力與擴大市場經營版圖，亦即「生物技術保健食品」市場的跨足。此外，對「多角化」發展保健食品的食品、藥品廠商而言，跨越「傳統保健食品」直接進入「生技保健食品」市場，在技術難度不甚高、資產需求不甚多的情況下，除可避免傳統保健食品市場的發展困境，並進一步開發新的市場、創造新的產品，更重要的是以低進入障礙（資金、技術）與快速回收成本的生物科技保健食品做為「轉型、升級」進入高技術門檻、高資本需求、高財務風險的核心生技領域，如生技製藥、基因工程、…等之□石或跳板。 面對本業發展的困境、保健食品產業的陌生、生物技術的缺乏，本研究試圖了解傳統食品藥品業者發展生技保健食品產業的可能性、成長性及藉此過渡至生技核心產業的可能性、成長性，並剖析業者的發展策略究應如何？ 而由政府著眼，面對高齡化與愈強調社會福利的未來社會，快速而大幅成長的醫療支出不僅是台灣政府的鎮日惡夢，亦嚴重威脅各先進大國的財政收支。 而保健食品預防保健的功效，將有助於慢性疾病、文明病的預防、延緩，間接減少醫療支出。此外，基於保護消費者的立場，政府於民國八十八年起實施「健康食品管理法」，以「積極管理」的態度對保健食品嚴格把關，然而在保障消費者權益的同時卻也造成保健食品產業發展上極大的掣肘。本研究試圖在扶持保健食品產業發展，以期減緩我國政府醫療保健用（全民健保費用）的逐年增加，以及避免不肖業者製造、販售劣等保健食品危害消費大眾間權衡其輕重、尋求一平衡點，分析政府因應保健食品產業發展的可能做為究竟為何？ 一直以來，政府經濟發展的重心都在高科技，乃至現如今的生物科技，對於曾經帶動台灣經濟成長的傳統產業著力甚微，就連產學界的關注亦不多。本研究試圖由傳統食品、藥品業轉型升級出發，深度探討其切入生技保健食品產業，進而邁向生技核心產業，究宜採行何種經營策略以茲因應？而政府對此又當採行如何的產業政策協助產業發展、企業成長？ 本研究首先由「文獻探討法」分析：1.生物科技暨保健食品產業的特性與發展概況，尋找可能的關鍵成功因素；2.台灣發展此二種產業的機會與可能遭遇的問題。接著利用「個案分析法」深度訪談傳統食品藥品廠商轉型升級生技產業的三家代表性業者：葡萄王、台糖與味全，配合「比較法」驗證、確認文獻探討歸結出之關鍵成功因素，並由廠商的內外在條件與實地操作經驗中提出具體可行的發展策略與配套之策略行動。最後針對政府提出相關產業政策建議。 對於上述議題，本研究得出以下具體結論： 1.現階段的台灣可以發展、適合發展、需要發展，亦必得發展生技產業。但台灣業者所處的環境、具備的條件卻非良好的產業發展環境，甚至相當惡劣，尤其傳統食品飲料業者的慣常經營模式更是轉型升級生技產業的最大障礙。其主要遭遇的問題有資金的不足、不穩；人才的匱乏；技術的低落；行銷訴求的失焦；通路選擇的錯誤；產品策略未能貼近市場需求：產業定位失當；心態不健全；以及政府扶持不足與法規掣肘。 2.對於生技產業的特殊性以及傳統食品藥品業者轉型升級生技產業所面臨的問題，業者應採「迂迴前進」的發展策略，即尋找一「中繼站」蓄積能量（創造資本、厚實技術、累積人才）、適應環境、除去包袱，待適當時機一躍而上，進入生物科技的核心產業如生技製藥、基因工程、…等，也就是深耕生技保健食品產業再伺機突破。至於在策略行動，則應由：「技術依存」、「行銷深化」、「差異強化」、「心態重建」、「資金開拓與調配」、「人力更新與培養」、「通路選擇與佈建」、及「產業價值鏈界定」來著手。 3.政府現階段將資源與焦點全力投注在生技醫藥、基因工程等技術層次高、資金需求大、研發時程長的少數高階生物技術的發展上，卻漠視台灣既有產業發展條件的不足與傳統產業面對轉型升級的無助與無奈，而使產業政策流於高調、空談、不切實際。本研究建議政府可由「基礎產業環境的建設」、「適當產業價值鍵的定位」、「合理法令的規範與鬆綁」著手，來進一步扶植新興產業發展、協助傳統產業升級，再造台灣新一波的經濟成長。 4.至於節節高升的健保支出，政府除以調高掛號費醫藥部分負擔與採取總額支付制度直接降低、限制民眾看診的次數以為因應外，更應以積極宣導、教育民眾「預防重於治療」的觀念，和以「積極輔導」代替「消極管理」的方式協助「保健食品」產業發展，以直接或間接降低政府醫療支出。

Weather people in the East or in the West all have the concept of eating good food to preserve their heath. In the past, because of malnutrition caused by bad economic situation, people have to find some natural food to keep themselves in good health, like Chinese herb. Although in the present day, people have the better nutrition because of improvement in economy, people still seek for some special dietary supplement except of daily diet. The purpose is totally different from the past. The first reason is that people want to keep in good health in order to have more quality and enjoyment in their life. The second reason is people want to prevent from the civilization diseases which are more and more popular in the modern society. And the third reason is people want to slow down the decay speed of body function since people have longer and longer life. These three reasons also explain why the functional food became so popular in the end of 80s and begin of 90s. And now we have great progress in food processing, nutrition, medicine and biotechnology. The second and the third generation functional foods put more emphasis in convenience and instant effect. The material could be natural or chemical, and the form may in liquid or capsule. The above is the opportunity for functional foods from the aspect of consumer’s demand. From the angle of supply, the earliest functional foods in Taiwan was first shown in unprofessional snack. In 70s Multi-level Marketing（MLM） become popular and make several fashionable functional foods, like pollen and glossy ganoderma. Because MLM is very suitable for selling functional foods, it was always a important channel, and even take 80% to 90% market share once. In the recent years, Taiwan’s foodstuff industry is at a standstill, and face a lot of competition in the market. This situation also happens to pharmaceutical industry, too. So there are some companies comes from these two industries try to upgrade themselves to get away from price competition. Functional foods is between drug and food, it becomes the great candidate product for them. That is why more and more companies go into functional foods market, and make the market become bustling. The scale of Taiwan’s functional foods market is essentially limited by its population. In 1997, Taiwan was also affected by the Asian Financial Crisis. In 1999, a new 「Health Foods Management ACT」was implement. It was commented for its unique definition and improper execution. And in 2001 Taiwan was allowed to join WTO, there were more and more import functional foods in the market. These facts made the Taiwan’s functional foods market in a standstill after a twenty-year rapid growth, and even the whole world market is still good. In order to break the bottleneck, functional foods makers keep to upgrade themselves. The rising “ Biotechnology” attracts the most of their attention. They hope to increase their product’s value-added, their advantage in competition and expend into new territory,「Biotech functional foods market」, by using new biotechnology. For vendors in traditional foodstuff industry and pharmaceutical industry, they are also very interested in「Biotech functional foods market」 because they can upgrade themselves to get away from price war in their current business. And also it is not so hard to get into 「Biotech functional foods market」with their current resource, and they can survive in this niche market before they go into high barrier bio-industry, like biotech medicine and gene engineering. This paper is trying to find out the strategy how to get into bio-industry for the vendors in traditional foodstuff and pharmaceutical industry. It propose that 「Biotech functional foods market」could be a niche market for them before they go into bio-industry. Several advice is also addressed in this paper for them how to succeed in the 「Biotech functional foods market」, and for the government how to help them to go into bio-industry. This paper also try to suggest the balance point between the encouragement and limitation from the government. Taiwan is becoming advanced age society and suffering from the growth in medical expenses. Functional foods can help people to prevent from many diseases. But in order to protect consumer, there should be a effect management for these functional foods, the government announce a new「Health Foods Management ACT」in 1999. Unfortunately, it was criticized for its unique definition and improper execution and made a big impact to the market. How to manage the health food market becomes a real issue. This paper begins with reference data analysis and try to find out bellows: 1. The overview and characteristics of both bio-industry and functional foods industry and then try to find the keys success factors(KSFs). 2. The challenge and opportunity for Taiwan to develop these two businesses. And then this paper using case study method to interview 3 standing vendors to have more detailed discussion. After compare the data with each other, this paper get proof to the (KSFs) got from the reference data analysis, and propose some suggestions and strategy for the vendors and government. Here are the conclusions : 1 To develop the bio-industry in Taiwan, there are a lot of challenges in front. The major ones are shortage of capital, lack of talent people, lag behind in technology, market strategy defocus, wrong channel choice, wrong product strategy, unsuitable mindset and some obstacle from government. 2 For the companies in traditional foodstuff and pharmaceutical industry, the best strategy to upgrade themselves to go into bio-industry is using roundabout approach. That is first to seek for a niche market to live on, and gather the khow-how to prepare for the higher biotechnology. There are 8 advices are addressed : develop relative technology, deepen market strategy, enhance the differentiation, reconstruct the mindset, raise and use capital efficiently, training for the employees, channel construction and position in value-chain. 3 The suggestions for the government are: improve the basic infrastructure, proper position in value-chain and revise the management rule reasonably. These could help to build up the new bio-industry in Taiwan and help traditional companies to go into this market. 4 The government should encourage the concept of “precaution is better than treatment “ to people and assist the health food vendors to grow. This would reduce the medical expenses.