MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt Germany, has expanded its facility in Lenexa, KS, adding 98,000 square feet of lab space and production capability to manufacture cell culture media.

The company’s strategic investments to expand capacity with the new dry powder media manufacturing lines in existing production facilities in Lenexa and Nantong, China, sites will increase both local and global production to meet current demand and ensure supply for future demand surges.

“The Lenexa expansion reflects our commitment to meeting the dynamic needs of our customers worldwide and delivering on our growth plans,” said Darren Verlenden, head of process solutions, Life Science. “This expansion makes Lenexa the company’s largest dry powder cell culture media facility and Center of Excellence in North America. Investing in the region reflects our strategy to expand and diversify our supply chain to ensure we meet current and future demand for cell culture media.”

Verlenden added, “As our customers’ needs and technologies evolve, so must we. The new production line represents the company’s vision for our Lenexa site, as it was initially constructed for three manufacturing lines for dry powder cell culture media. The new production line is the culmination of multiple years of planning, and now we are able to offer greater flexibility and faster cell culture media manufacturing for our customers.”