MilliporeSigma plans to create 175 jobs, expand facilities

The life science arm of a German company with global operations is planning to create 175 jobs in Wisconsin over the next three years with assistance from WEDC.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is granting a maximum of $1.25 million in tax credits to MilliporeSigma to help it expand its facilities in Sheboygan Falls. Those credits can be earned through capital investment and job creation, and the job creation tax credits are tied to the wages paid for those new jobs.

MilliporeSigma will receive tax credits equal to 10 percent of eligible payroll, according to Mark Maley, communications director for WEDC. And to keep the tax credits it earns through job creation, the company will have to sustain those jobs for at least two years after the initial three year period.

The company already has four manufacturing locations in Wisconsin, as well as its Milwaukee-based North American Central Distribution Center. The 80,000-square-foot expansion will accommodate the consolidation of flavors, fragrances, stains and dyes operations in Milwaukee and Europe.

“The expansion of the Sheboygan facility will play an important part in leveraging our existing expertise to serve our broader business around the world,” said Udit Batra, CEO for MilliporeSigma.

MilliporeSigma sells more than 300,000 products, ranging from water purifiers, reagents and antibodies to large mixing vats and microbial air monitoring systems. These products are used in industrial microbiology and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, as well as in research labs all over the country.

Mark Hogan, secretary and CEO of WEDC, said this expansion will “strengthen Wisconsin’s thriving biohealth sector.”

“This investment in Wisconsin is another example of the success we are experiencing as a result of WEDC’s proactive efforts to attract foreign direct investment,” Hogan said.

WEDC leaders and Gov. Scott Walker met with leaders of Merck KGaA, the parent company for MilliporeSigma, in Germany as part of the governor’s trade mission to Europe in April 2015. According to a release from the governor’s office, negotiations about expanding in Wisconsin had been ongoing since that time.

Walker was in Sheboygan Falls yesterday to announce the expansion.

“Because of the tremendous progress we’ve made in the last six years to turn around our state’s economy and create a strong pro-business climate, Wisconsin is developing an international reputation among companies seeking to establish or expand operations in the U.S.,” Walker said.

Merck KGaA is based in Darmstadt, Germany, employing about 50,000 employees in 66 countries. It offers technology products in six main business areas: biopharmaceuticals, consumer health, allergopharma, biosimilars, life science and performance materials.

The life science business, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has 19,000 employees, over 60 manufacturing facilities around the world.

–By Alex Moe
WisBusiness.com