Merck has opened its newly expanded life science distribution center in Schnelldorf, Germany. The investment of €180 million added 25,000 square meters to the site, almost doubling its size. It now includes a new manual down filling operation and additional space for the distribution of a wide range of products to laboratories and research facilities all around the world. The site employs 470 engineers, manufacturing and distribution experts.

“By combining manual downing filling capabilities with our distribution expertise, our customers will benefit from increased product availability and quicker delivery,” said Matthias Heinzel, member of the executive board of Merck and CEO 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.”

Ivan Donzelot, head of integrated supply chain operations, life science, said, “With this expansion, Schnelldorf is becoming one of our flagship sites, providing unique end-to-end capabilities for our life science customers. 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.”

The expansion of the Schnelldorf facility is part of a multi-year investment program of Merck’s life science business sector. It aims to increase the capacity and capabilities to support the growing global demand for critical drugs and to make significant contributions to public health. Since 2020, Merck has announced industrial capacity and capabilities expansion projects in Life Science throughout Europe, China, and the United States, of more than €2 billion.

The life science business of Merck is comprised of more than 50 production and testing sites and 64 distribution centers around the world and has more than 27,000 employees in 65 countries.