Among the summit announcements Choose France, which presented 22 new investment projects for France last Monday, one drew attention in Gironde. The German laboratory Merck has announced its plan to invest 175 million euros in France and plans to create 500 jobs at its sites in Molsheim (Bas-Rhin) and Martillac (Gironde).
#ChooseFrance🇫🇷 #Investment #Employment #Innovation #Alsace #Gironde https://t.co/Dhzor2c0b0
– Merck France (@merck_fr) June 29, 2021
About 50 million euros will go to the Gironde laboratory, which plans to triple its production, specializing in drugs derived from biotechnologies to treat cancer in particular. “Three new buildings will be built, and it is expected that 150 hires will complete the 380 current positions, by 2024”, specifies in a press release the MoDem deputy of the Gironde Sophie Mette, who accompanied this file.
About twenty positions open this year
“The profiles sought are both scientific profiles, technicians and engineers in pharma and biotech, but also more general profiles to support all activities such as order pickers, maintenance technicians, calibration technicians, specialists in quality assurance and control ”explains Sébastien Ribault, director of the Martillac site.
By the end of the year, around 20 positions will be open, including seven now to ensure the launch of the commercial production building by mid-2022.
“Administrative delays”
As regards the premises, “we are planning an expansion of approximately 8,000 m2 in total for our commercial production activities, the creation of a quality control laboratory, the expansion of the logistics center and finally the creation of offices to accommodate all the teams, ”adds the director.
Deputy Sophie Mette believes that this decision “is an essential signal for France. “” Our country is, for the second consecutive year, at the top of the European ranking of the most attractive nations [devant le Royaume-Uni et l’Allemagne], according to EY barometer », She emphasizes. The elected representative regrets, however, “the administrative delays that have appeared, despite Merck’s desire to expand its site (…) The State still has to do to facilitate the good performance of the German laboratory in Martillac. “