Merck $ 17 billion acquisition of Sigma

German pharmaceutical and chemical giant Merck (Merck KGaA) today announced the successful completion of the $ 17 billion cash acquisition of the world's largest manufacturer of chemical reagents - United States Sigma-Aldrich (Sigma-Aldrich, hereinafter referred to as Sigma), which also marked the history of this ultra-large-scale chemical industry acquisitions last week to get the European Commission (EC) for final approval after finally came to an end perfectly, consuming a total of 1 year and 2 months. The acquisition is aimed at strengthening the Merck subsidiary Merck Millipore (Merck Millipore) of laboratory supplies business, and will expand the global coverage Merck Millipore and improve presence in North America and the fast-growing Asian markets. With the completion of the acquisition, Merck will have nearly 50,000 employees in 67 countries, 72 production sites.
To ensure a smooth integration, Merck has made the appropriate adjustments in the integration of the planning of new business areas: across the globe, these new services will be the name of Merck (Merck) operations; and in the United States and Canada, these new services will be secret BSH management Sigma (MilliporeSigma) operations.
The acquisition Simga, also marks Merck "Metamorphosis 2018 Tour" milestone will be its three major business transformation platform for sustainable growth: health care, life sciences, high-performance materials.
The two sides reached last September of a definitive acquisition agreement, Merck will be $ 17 billion cash acquisition of Sigma, making it worth $ 130 billion in the global life sciences industry's leading companies, will be able to global life science customers, providing a sets attractive mature brand and an efficient supply chain, it can support up to more than 30 million products supply. In laboratory & academia business, combined with the Merck Millipore and Sigma existing life science businesses, Merck will provide a wide range of complementary products in the laboratory chemicals, biological agents, reagents aspects. In the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical aspects, Sigma will form with Merck Millipore's existing products and the ability to add.
It is worth mentioning that the acquisition of Sigma also the history of the biggest takeover Merck. The largest was in 2007 before trading to $ 13.3 billion acquisition of Switzerland's largest biotechnology company - Serono (Serono), the acquisition of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe to create a new giant, is positioned as the pharmaceutical industry giants . However, Merck Serono frustrated after several years of research and development of new drugs, has not been introduced blockbuster products, it has been in trouble. After 2010, Merck cost $ 6 billion acquisition of US laboratory equipment and chemicals manufacturers - Millipore (Millipore), to accelerate the company's transformation.
Sigma-Aldrich is a leading Life Science and High Technology company whose biochemical and organic chemical products and kits are widely used, with operations in 36 countries, institutions and regions. Merck Group is focused on innovative pharmaceutical, life science and cutting-edge functional materials technology, with 154 offices in 67 countries and regions. Both with offices in China or joint venture.