For three days every year, the global pharmaceutical industry comes together in one place. For Dr. Abdelaziz Toumi, that makes CPHI much more than a trade show: it is the industry's pulse check.
This week on Making It In Manufacturing, Thomas McMann sat down with Dr. Abdelaziz Toumi, CEO of Lupin Manufacturing Solutions, ahead of CPHI Milan 2026.
In this episode, Abdel covers:
(00:37) Why CPHI is much more than a trade show, and how three days give a pulse check on where investment, customer challenges and manufacturing trends are heading.
(02:05) The customer who walked onto the Lupin stand with no meeting booked, needing capacity after an acquisition, and the solution that followed a few months later.
(03:05) His panel on API security in a fragmented world, and why geopolitics, supply chain disruption and rising regulatory expectations have made supply security a strategic priority, with CDMOs at its centre.
(05:42) What Lupin Manufacturing Solutions hopes to achieve at the show, starting with listening to customers, and its investment in high potency APIs and specialised manufacturing.
(07:19) The themes he expects to dominate CPHI: specialisation, strategic partnerships, resilience and speed, and AI.
(10:20) His advice for first-time attendees: prepare well, stay curious, and choose quality conversations over a stack of business cards.
Recorded before the show, this conversation is a clear guide to what the industry came to Milan to talk about. Listen to the full episode to hear why Abdel believes pharma is, above all, a people business built on trust.
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Thomas McMann LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-mcmann-05540a10b/
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:37 What CPHI is, in Abdel's words
01:41 Years at CPHI and what keeps him coming back
02:05 The walk-in customer with no meeting booked
03:05 Abdel's panel: API security in a fragmented world
04:21 Why CDMOs are critical to supply chain resilience
05:42 What Lupin Manufacturing Solutions hopes to achieve
07:19 The key themes for this year's show
08:58 AI in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing
09:56 Making medicine affordable beyond the Western world
10:20 Advice for first-time attendees
11:55 Why pharma is a people business
12:24 Closing thoughts
#MakingItInManufacturing #ARTOTalent #CPHI #CPHIMilan #CDMO #PharmaManufacturing #PharmaSupplyChain #APISecurity #PharmaIndustry
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