Merck Expands in Gillingham, UK, Boosts Distribution Capabilities

• Demonstrates Merck’s commitment to the UK
• Serves as the company’s primary distribution centre for the UK

Gillingham, United Kingdom, November 18, 2019 — Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced the completion of a £9 million expansion to its Gillingham distribution centre. With an added 5, 250 m², the new facility serves as Merck’s primary distribution centre for the UK as part of the company’s global supply chain.

“This expansion increases our distribution capacity, reinforces our efforts in safety and allows us to operate more efficiently,” said Mark Jackson, Gillingham site director at Merck. “It also helps to boost the local economy. With nearly a half million orders every year and more than 400,000 units in inventory at any given time, Merck’s distribution centre is essential to the UK’s Life Science sector.”

The site supplies the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology companies, research institutes and academic centres with biochemical and chemical reagents, laboratory supplies and testing services. All three of Merck’s business sectors (Life Science, Healthcare and Performance Materials) are represented in the UK, where the company employs around 1,300 people at 12 locations.

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About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 56,000 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 – Merck is everywhere. In 2018, Merck generated sales of €14.8 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 operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials.