The company, which is the life science business of Merck, will use the investment to further ramp up the manufacturing capacity of single-use assemblies of its Mobius range
A production specialist at Merck’s facility in Molsheim, France. (Credit: MilliporeSigma)
MilliporeSigma has announced an investment of over €130m at its Molsheim site in France to improve its manufacturing capabilities for single-use assemblies, an important technology to produce Covid-19 vaccines and other lifesaving therapies.
The life science business of Merck said that the investment is the largest ever in the 50-year history of the French site and will generate over 800 jobs by the end of 2028.
Merck executive board chair and CEO Belén Garijo said: “Merck is determined to provide patients in Europe and worldwide with reliable access to vaccines and life-saving therapies.
“This investment in France is an integral component of our plans to expand our global manufacturing footprint and deliver superior customer value across the globe.”
MilliporeSigma’s investment is intended to further boost the manufacturing capacity of single-use assemblies of its Mobius range.
By the end of 2024, the company has plans to begin operations at the 37,000ft2 ISO7 clean rooms, a new logistics warehouse, and an administrative building.
MilliporeSigma will aim to gradually ramp up the Molsheim site to full production till 2028.
The life science firm had invested €25m in 2021 for adding a single-use assembly manufacturing facility.
According to MilliporeSigma, Molsheim is its first site in Europe to produce Mobius while other production sites are located in Wuxi, China and Danvers, Massachusetts, US.
The manufacturing of single-use assemblies comes under Merck’s process solutions business, which globally provides products to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Merck executive board member and life science CEO Matthias Heinzel said: “In recent years, many biopharmaceutical manufacturers have turned to single-use technologies for their flexibility, cost savings, speed, and reduced contamination risk, leading to double-digit market growth for this segment.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced this trend. The investment will accelerate the delivery of critical products and technologies our customers need to bring breakthrough treatments to patients in need around the world.”
Merck is said to have plans to carry out global investment projects over the next five years in Germany, Switzerland, France, China, Ireland, and the US.