Merck to Move U.S. Chem. Unit to Bay State

The chairman of Germany-based Merck KGaA told the Boston Globe this week that the company plans to move the headquarters of its U.S. chemical business from New Jersey to Billerica, MA, following his firm’s deal to purchase Billerica-based life sciences firm Millipore for $7.2 billion. The Massachusetts-based division will be called EMD Millipore, Merck chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley told the Globe during a visit to the Bay State this week. Millipore (NYSE:[[ticker:MIL]]), a provider of life sciences research and manufacturing products, employs about a quarter of its global work force, or approximately 1,675 people, in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the Globe reports.

Author: Ryan McBride

Ryan is an award-winning business journalist who contributes to our life sciences and technology coverage. He was previously a staff writer for Mass High Tech, a Boston business and technology newspaper, where he and his colleagues won a national business journalism award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in 2008. In recent years, he has made regular TV appearances on New England Cable News. Prior to MHT, Ryan covered the life sciences, technology, and energy sectors for Providence Business News. He graduated with honors from the University of Rhode Island in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. When he’s not chasing down news, Ryan enjoys mountain biking and skiing in his home state of Vermont.