Merck’s First-Asia Pacific Mobius^® Single-Use Manufacturing Center in Wuxi, China

Merck, a leading science and technology company, has signed an agreement with the Administrative Management Committee of Wuxi National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone to significantly expand Merck’s first Asia-Pacific Mobius® Single-Use manufacturing center in China.  

“For more than two decades, Merck’s Life Science business sector, with the support of the Chinese government and the Wuxi authority, has served customers across academia, biopharma and diagnostics,” said Matthias Heinzel, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Life Science. “Today’s agreement underscores Merck’s continued commitment to our customers in China and the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region. Expanding local manufacturing capabilities in Wuxi for Mobius® Single-Use assemblies is key to supporting the ongoing development and manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics and other lifesaving and life-enhancing treatments. Together with our partners, we make a positive impact on life and health with science.”

Merck plans to invest approximately € 100 million (RMB 700 million or USD 110 million) over six years by expanding the existing Wuxi production site to significantly increase biopharma single-use assemblies and custom design capabilities. With this expansion, Merck will extend its geographic footprint and strengthen its supply chain in China and the Asia-Pacific region. This investment is expected to create about 1,000 new positions and be operational by 2024. It is in line with the company’s plan to increase its total investments between 2021 and 2025 by more than 50% compared with the period from 2016 to 2020. More than 70% of this will be invested in the “Big 3,” which includes the Process Solutions business unit and the newly formed Life Science Services business unit of Merck’s Life Science business sector. 

“Over the next five years, we expect strong growth in the bioprocessing market, with Asia growing in the mid-teens and China above 20% per annum on average. This is fueled by increasing demand for single-use products in advanced biopharmaceutical manufacturing such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), vaccines, and new therapies,” said Marc Jaffre, Managing Director at Merck’s Life Science business sector in China. “This strategic investment will support biotech innovation in China.”

"Merck, once again, has chosen Wuxi as the site for one of its most important investment projects. Today’s announcement reflects the strength of our long-term partnership, Merck's confidence in the city’s development prospects, and demonstrates a win-win choice for mutual benefit,” said Zhao Jianjun, Mayor of Wuxi, China.

Since 2020, Merck has announced expansion projects for its Life Science business sector in Darmstadt, Germany; Cork, Ireland; Buchs, Switzerland; Molsheim, France; Carlsbad, California, USA; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Jaffrey, New Hampshire, USA; and Danvers, Massachusetts, USA. These expansions are part of an ambitious, multi-year program to increase the industrial capacity and capabilities of Merck’s Life Science business sector to support the growing global demand for lifesaving medications and to make significant contributions to public health. 

Over the next five years, Merck will implement investment programs worldwide. The target countries include Germany, China, France, Switzerland, Ireland, and the United States. All expansion projects include clear targets for energy efficiency, water consumption, and waste treatment to support Merck in meeting its goal to be carbon-neutral by 2040, in line with its sustainability strategy. 

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 60,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2021, Merck generated sales of € 19.7 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics.

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