The new Life Science distribution center, with added downfilling capabilities in Schnelldorf, Germany. [Image courtesy of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany]
The company invested €180 million and added 25,000 square meters in space to the site, nearly doubling its size. It now features a manual down filling operation and additional space for the distribution of products to laboratories and research facilities around the world. The site employs 470 engineers, manufacturing and distribution efforts.
Merck KGaA said its expansion comes as part of a multi-year investment program in its Life Science business sector. It hopes to increase capacity and capabilities to support the growing global demand for critical drugs. Since 2020, the company has announced industrial capacity and capabilities expansion projects in Life Science in Europe, China and the U.S. Its investment on that front totals more than €2 billion.
“By combining manual downing filling capabilities with our distribution expertise, our customers will benefit from increased product availability and quicker delivery,” said Matthias Heinzel, CEO of Merck Life Science. “This is critical to ensuring that medicines reach patients faster, safely, and more efficiently. This is how we do our part to impact life and health with science.”
Merck KGaA’s Life Science business now has more than 50 production and testing sites, plus 64 distribution centers around the world. It has more than 27,000 employees in 65 countries.
“With this expansion, Schnelldorf is becoming one of our flagship sites, providing unique end-to-end capabilities for our Life Science customers” said Ivan Donzelot, head of integrated supply chain operations, Life Science. “With the full integration of manufacturing and distribution in one site, our customers can now receive even faster and better service whether they are in Europe or in other regions of the world.”
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