Merck Animal Health will spend $895 million to expand the company’s manufacturing, research and development campus in De Soto, Kansas.
The multiyear project is expected to support 2,500 construction jobs in the KC Animal Health Corridor, a 250-mile-wide zone housing more than 300 businesses focused on animal health, veterinary diagnostics and pet food. The larger plant will add over 200 full-time jobs as early as 2030.
“This investment in our site is designed to increase Merck Animal Health’s ability to meet the growing customer demand for its portfolio of animal biologics products and ensure the company remains at the forefront of innovation in the animal health sector,” said Merck Animal Health’s president, Richard DeLuca.
According to the company, the new manufacturing facility will expand filling and freeze-dryer capacity for large-molecule vaccines and biologic products. The plant now makes vaccines and biologic products for cattle, swine and fish.
“The project includes a major expansion of Merck’s research and development laboratories, further strengthening the company’s global leadership in parasiticide and therapeutics development, and deepening its roots in the De Soto community,” Merck stated.
Kimberly Young, president of the KC Animal Health Corridor, applauded the project.
“This announcement reaffirms what we’ve long known — the Animal Health Corridor is where global leaders come to grow,” Young said.
Merck described the upcoming work as “One of the most significant economic development projects in Kansas history and the largest to date for Merck Animal Health.”
Among the company’s leading pet products are Bravecto flea and tick control and Nobivac vaccines.