West Lothian employment: Investment by science firm Merck brings new jobs to Livingston

The investment in diagnostics and blood typing will allow the company to increase its production capacity of diagnostic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) by approximately 35 per cent. mAbs are used by health and science professionals around the world to determine blood typing.

Merck investment: (from left) Adrian Birkett, head of pperations, Merck Livingston; Jean-Charles Wirth, head of science and lab solutions at Merck Life Science; and David Pandian, head of manufacturing at Merck Livingston. | supplied

The investment will also create an initial 10 new jobs, bringing Merck’s workforce in Scotland to over 750 employees.   

Merck’s Livingston facility is the world’s largest manufacturer of mAbs for blood typing diagnosis. The site currently produces around 25 tonnes of antibodies per year. The facility has a global reach and supplies intermediate and finished diagnostic reagents to all the world’s major blood typing manufacturers.  

The new investment of 5 million euros (£4.17m) follows an investment last year of 3 million euros (£2.5m) in Livingston as part of the design, development and commercialisation of a novel diagnostic quality control kit for blood typing analysers.

Also last year, the company expanded molecular biology and sequencing testing in Glasgow, where a 35 million euro (£29.1m) investment will result in a state-of-the-art, 1,200 square meter biosafety testing facility and create 500 new jobs across Glasgow and Stirling. 

German-based Merck, which has a worldwide workforce of 64,000 working in pharmaceuticals, life sciences, chemicals, healthcare and electronics, has had a presence in Scotland for more than three decades. Its Scottish facilities were used in the development and testing of Covid vaccines.

Jessica Copeland, head of diagnostics and regulated materials at Merck Life Science, said: “Merck’s legacy spans over 33 years here in Scotland, and Livingston has quickly become the Centre of Excellence for diagnostic mAbs.

“This investment enables us to increase our manufacturing capacity for products that are at the forefront of diagnostics, putting us in a unique position to support customers with groundbreaking work.”  

The announcement brings the total invested by Merck in Scotland since last year to over 40 million euros (£33.32m). 

Adrian Birkett, head of operations at Merck Livingston, said: “We have the market’s largest portfolio of monoclonal antibodies for blood typing.  We also have a diverse range of services and products, and blood typing and diagnostics is an area which thrives year-on-year.

“I’d like to thank the team at Merck, Livingston for their continued hard work and dedication. Their consistent delivery for the company has resulted in this further investment. It’s a proud day for us all here in Merck Livingston.”