Merck, a leading German science and technology company, has decided to invest over €130 million in their facility located in Molsheim, France. The main reason for this investment is to increase capacity for single-use assembly, a critical technology for making Covid-19 vaccines and other treatments. By the end of 2028, it is anticipated that more than 800 jobs will be created, which will boost the facility’s ability to produce its Mobius single-use assemblies.
Merck intends to start using the new 37,000 square foot clean rooms provided by the investment by the end of 2024, with full production levels being attained later in the decade. In the last quarter of 2024, the business anticipates that the administrative building and logistics warehouse will be completed.
The company stated that the manufacturing of Merck’s Mobius single-use consumables began at the Molsheim plant last year, making the facility the first in Europe to use this technology. A total of $25 million will be invested in this facility.
According to Matthias Heinzel, CEO of Life Science at Merck and a member of the company’s executive board, “France is fundamental to our plan to create long-term growth and strengthen our global leading position in Life Science. In recent years, single-use technologies have gained popularity among biopharmaceutical producers due to their flexibility, cost-effectiveness, speed, and lower risk of contamination. As a result, this market sector has experienced percentage growth in double-digit global growth. Another contributing factor was the Covid-19 pandemic which has made this pattern stronger”.
Merck KGaA stated that it is in the middle of a 5-year term of high investment—a significant increase over what it spent from 2016 to 2020—to boost its revenues from €19.7 billion in 2021 to over €25 billion by 2025. The financing has a significant portion set up for single-use technologies. The company’s main focus is investing in multiple locations such as Germany, China, the United States, France, Switzerland, and Ireland. To expand, Merck KGaA introduced its new Life Sciences Services unit, which combined its Contract Development and manufacturing company (CDMO) and contracts testing departments with other operations.
In the German city of Darmstadt, the company is developing what it is calling the Launch and Technology Center. With research and manufacturing under one roof, the €160 million, 13,900 square meter center will aim to produce small molecule-based medications for clinical trials and actual production.
Last summer, the relationship between Merck Millipore and Lotte of Korea was made public, with Lotte being the preferred supplier of Merck Millipore’s biologics business in the United States. In addition, the business established a new high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredient (HPAPI) production facility in Verona, Wisconsin, in June for an investment of $65 million. For the future, Merck KGaA has committed to several construction projects, including the construction of a €440 million site in Europe.
