MilliporeSigma has been awarded a $136.7 million contract award for the construction of a lateral flow membrane production facility, which is part of an effort to ensure secure local supply and production capacity for critical products for pandemic preparedness.
Construction will occur over a three-year period at the company’s Sheboygan, Wisconsin site. The contract award from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) was made on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“With this agreement, MilliporeSigma will construct a state-of-the-art lateral flow membrane production facility that will give our in vitro diagnostic (IVD) manufacturing customers greater flexibility and security of supply of our Hi-Flow Plus lateral flow membranes,” says Matthias Heinzel, member of the executive board and CEO, Life Science, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Building this new facility supports the overall Life Science business sector’s strategy to add physical capacity and expand its regional network to enable further growth of its key portfolios.
“Our lateral flow membranes have earned a reputation for high consistency among rapid diagnostic manufacturers and the already robust demand for this membrane has significantly increased since the onset of the pandemic. With this critical investment, we are expanding much-needed access to essential diagnostic testing as a trusted partner to the world’s most sophisticated diagnostic manufacturers,” says Jean-Charles Wirth, head of Applied Solutions, Life Science.
Hi-Flow Plus Lateral flow membrane is used in rapid diagnostic test kit manufacturing by the Life Science business’ customers, enabling reproducible results due to its consistent quality and optimized properties. The rapid test kits are used for a variety of applications, including infectious disease testing (Covid-19, HIV, Influenza, Malaria, etc.), as well as in women’s health, biomarker detection, drug testing, food safety and animal health.
Featured Image: MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, was awarded a $136.7M USD contract award for the construction of a lateral flow membrane production facility over a three-year period at the company’s Sheboygan, Wisconsin site. Photo: MilliporeSigma
