merck is a german company
At Merck, we think in generations. Our goal is to pass the company on to the next generation better than we found it. This is the mindset that has allowed us to exist for almost 350 years. The growth of the organization from a family-run pharmacy in 1668 into today’s multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical and chemical company is the result of 13 generations of scientists, pharmacists and chemists dedicated to advancing discoveries that improve the lives of people around the world.
Sigma and Aldrich were founded separately in 1935 and 1951, respectively, to supply biochemicals and chemicals to research scientists in the U.S. Both companies started with the production and distribution of a single proprietary chemical: Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by Sigma and 1-methyl-3- nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) by Aldrich. For many years, the two companies grew independently, Sigma serving primarily biochemists and Aldrich serving organic chemists.
When changing trends in chemical research confirmed the synergy to be realized from their complementary product offerings, Aldrich Chemical Co. merged with Sigma International, Ltd. in 1975, forming Sigma-Aldrich Corporation. With this marriage of broad capabilities and resources, annual double-digit sales growth became the standard in the 1980s and 1990s, with significant expansion in facilities, acquisitions and ventures into new market sectors.
In 2010, Millipore Corporation was acquired by Merck and became part of the company’s life science tools division, operating in North America using the umbrella brand “EMD.” With a range of more than 60,000 products on offer, this division captured significant opportunities in high-growth, high-margin market segments such as bio-research and bio-production.
In the coming years, Merck will be transforming the Darmstadt site into a contemporary global headquarters, including a state-of-the-art Innovation Center to promote interdisciplinary project work among employees, as well as a new building that will house Visitor Reception and a guest restaurant.
In addition, Merck is investing $115 million in a new life science campus in the Boston area, one of the most important science and technology hubs in the world. The new campus will serve as a premier global customer destination, housing a state-of-the-art exploratory environment where our scientists and engineers work together with customers to help solve their toughest life science challenges.
