Merck KGaA has begun construction work at its Darmstadt site on a new inorganic salts production plant. This will cost around €30 million, making it one of Merck’s largest chemical investments worldwide after the new materials research centre that will open in Darmstadt this year.

It will make APIs, excipients, products for biopharmaceutical production processes, food additives and laboratory reagents for the Life Science Solutions and Laboratory Business units, both of which are in the Performance & Life Science Chemicals division. The investment will increase capacity by some 50%. Operation should begin in mid-2011.

Divisional head Klaus Bischoff said: “The cornerstone has been laid for a key investment in the future.” It is, he added, “a strong commitment to Darmstadt as a Merck chemical production site”, as well as being part of ongoing modernisation measures in inorganic chemical production and part of the growth strategy for both units.