Merck and Schneider Electric Sign MoU to Advance China’s Biopharmaceutical Industry

• Merck and Schneider Electric combine capabilities to automate biopharmaceutical process
• Customers would save time, get greater flexibility with automated solution

Shanghai, China, March 5, 2018 — Merck, a leading science and technology company, and Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims to automate biopharmaceutical processes for China’s biopharmaceutical industry. The MoU outlines the companies plan to form a co-marketing relationship for the automation.

“We are living in a fast-paced, evolving life science environment in which more chronic diseases are prevalent,” said Andrew Bulpin, head of the Process Solutions business area, Life Science, at Merck. “The global and local players are investing heavily in pharmaceutical research and biosimilars, racing against time to find therapeutic solutions and treat patients faster and more effectively. Schneider Electric’s automation solutions combined with our hardware, software and single-use consumables would enable an automated biopharmaceutical solution for our respective customers. We look forward to helping our biopharma customers in their quest for reliable, less expensive and better medical solutions.”

The Process Solutions area within Merck’s Life Science business provides the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of high-quality products and services for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Combining the technical expertise of Merck and the technological capabilities of Schneider Electric, the collaboration would give customers greater flexibility and save them time.

In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region, especially China, has transitioned toward an automated “intelligent” industry. Shorter time-to-market for new drugs, flexible manufacturing and stricter compliance and data integrity requirements have driven the need for operational technology-based and intelligent manufacturing with an Internet of Things (IoT)-based architecture.

“Schneider Electric will continue to collaborate with industry leaders like Merck to maximize the value of intelligent manufacturing in industries with our IoT-enabled EcoStruxure to help create an ecology of industrial digitalization by fusing all complementary and mutually beneficial forces,” said Yue Ma, SVP and head of Industrial Services, Schneider Electric China.

Merck, which celebrates its 350th anniversary this year, provides products that meet the highest quality and purity standards and help pharmaceutical and biotech companies to develop and manufacture drugs safely, effectively and cost efficiently.

About Merck

Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. More than 52,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of €15 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the “Merck” name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.