Merck Millipore expands French manufacturing site

Merck Millipore has announced plans to expand its manufacturing site in Molsheim, France at a cost of 12 million euros (9.59 million pounds).

The investment will broaden the company's capacity to produce ready-to-use (RTU) media, securing the supply chain for customers in the region, while also sustaining the heipha/Hycon product lines including contact and settle plates and Agar strips for RCS systems.

Work will include the extension of the manufacturing capacity space for RTU media, and the creation of a new clean room and two additional production lines similar to those existing in Eppelheim, where RTU Media will also continue to be manufactured.

Additionally, research and development laboratories across various scientific areas of expertise will be centralised to form an innovation centre to develop solutions for future customer needs and meet global demand.

Udit Batra, president and chief executive officer of Merck Millipore, said: "We are committed to providing our customers with a reliable supply of products, including RTU media, which this investment in Molsheim will help to ensure."

This comes after the firm expanded its upstream services into North America as part of its Provantage Biodevelopment and Clinical Supply offering earlier this year.