Merck Animal Health Increases Facility Capacity and Capability in Elkhorn, Nebraska, With Significant Upgrades to its Manufacturing and Warehousing Operations
Increased Local Investment Builds Strength for the Future to Better Meet Customer Demand
ELKHORN, Neb., April 15, 2019 – Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, today announced increased investment and expansion opportunities in its U.S. manufacturing and warehousing site in Elkhorn, Nebraska. These new capabilities will come on line this year and the full effect of these significant investments will be seen over the coming years. The Elkhorn site develops and manufactures a broad portfolio of Canine, Feline, Bovine, Poultry and Swine vaccines.
“We are excited about the opportunity to bring capital improvements, expansion in our manufacturing capacity and capabilities and advanced technology to our Elkhorn facility, thereby, strengthening our footprint in the state and increasing our ability to fulfill customer demand for our portfolio of products,” said Darin Tompkins, Executive Director, Elkhorn Operations, Merck Animal Health. “Our Merck Animal Health business is making great strides in building our business for the future. That means we need to ensure our place as a leader in animal health with a substantial and sustainable U.S. facility footprint, which includes investment and expansion in our key facilities. As a leader in delivering innovative pharmaceuticals and vaccines to advance animal health and meet customer needs, this investment reflects our commitment in producing a range of animal health vaccines and pharmaceuticals for animal health diseases.”
“We’re working hard to ensure Nebraska is the best place in the world to grow by helping businesses create great opportunities and high-paying jobs for our people,” said Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. “Congratulations to Merck Animal Health on this latest expansion in Elkhorn. We appreciate their continued investment in our state, as we continue to grow Nebraska.”
Because of the company’s strong growth, broad product portfolio, and enhanced manufacturing capacity and capabilities, Merck Animal Health continues to explore ways in the U.S. and globally to improve existing facilities with upgraded equipment or technology, further expand its facilities with advanced technology platforms and increase capacity and capabilities in manufacturing and warehousing to meet the rapidly growing demand and flexibility for its vaccine and biologic products.
“We continually create new ways and processes to better serve our customers and strengthen our investment in expanding our manufacturing and warehousing capacity and capabilities so that we remain a valued partner to our customers through our reliability, flexibility and responsiveness,” said Scott Bormann, Senior Vice President, North America Commercial Operations, Merck Animal Health. “Our investment in Elkhorn positions our company for strong long-term growth and emphasizes our dedication to the Science of Healthier Animals®.”
Vaccines play an important role in protecting animal and public health. Timely and effective vaccination reduces the incidence and severity of disease, enabling efficient production of food animals. Vaccines also have had a significant impact on the health of pets, preventing serious illnesses and helping them live longer and healthier lives. The company continues to invest in expanding its manufacturing and distribution facilities in Millsboro, Delaware; Ames, Iowa; Worthington, Minnesota; and Omaha, Nebraska.
The health and well-being of animals is the first and foremost priority of Merck Animal Health. The company strongly supports the responsible use of enhanced vaccine and pharmaceutical production platforms to improve and maintain the health of animals, as well as discovery of new tools to prevent, treat, and in some cases, even eradicate diseases.
About Merck Animal Health
For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada, is the global animal health business unit of Merck. Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier Animals™, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services. Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter at @MerckAH.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline products that the products will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov.).