GERMANY — Merck KGaA, a leading global pharmaceutical company, has unveiled two significant manufacturing expansions in the United States and China, aimed at ramping up the production of testing materials and cell cultures.
These expansions align with Merck KGaA’s commitment to meeting the growing demands of the life science industry.
The German drugmaker recently announced plans to expand its manufacturing capacity for highly-purified reagents used in quality control and testing at its Nanjing facility in China.
With an investment of €70 million (US$78.1 million), Merck KGaA will construct a new reagent production plant covering approximately 40,000 square meters (430,000 square feet).
Once completed by 2026, the facility will significantly increase the output of reagents by several thousand tons, supporting the Chinese market’s need for high-quality and reliable products.
Jean-Charles Wirth, the head of Merck KGaA’s Science and Lab Solutions in the life science business, expressed their accelerated expansion plan in China, emphasizing the company’s commitment to supporting the life science industry and enhancing their ability to serve customers effectively.
In addition, MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, announced its own expansion plans at its facility in Lenexa, Kansas.
The company will invest US$25 million to add 98,000 square feet of laboratory and manufacturing space dedicated to the production of cell culture media.
This expansion project is expected to generate around 60 new jobs. Upon completion, the Lenexa site will become MilliporeSigma’s largest dry powder cell culture media facility in North America.
Darren Verlenden, the head of Process Solutions at MilliporeSigma, emphasized the strategic importance of investing in the region to expand and diversify its supply chain, ensuring that the current and future demand for cell culture media is met.
In conjunction with the Lenexa facility, MilliporeSigma operates two additional global sites in Nantong, China, and Irvine, Scotland, focused on the production of dry powder cell culture media.
These expansions align with Merck KGaA’s larger-scale investment plans, including acquisitions, to drive innovation and growth.
The company has set ambitious targets to increase sales from €19.7 billion (US$22.12 billion) in 2021 to €25 billion (US$28.07 billion) by 2025.
With a strong emphasis on enhancing its single-use capabilities, Merck KGaA aims to bolster MilliporeSigma’s position in the market.
This commitment to expansion and diversification reflects the company’s dedication to meeting the evolving needs of the biopharmaceutical industry and driving advancements in life science research and development.
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