Merck Animal Health invests $895M to expand manufacturing facility in Kansas
Merck Animal Health has announced plans to expand its manufacturing facility in De Soto, Kansas. The company, which develops and manufactures veterinary vaccines and pharmaceuticals, is investing $895 million into the project, creating more than 200 new jobs.
The expansion includes a 200,000-square-foot facility that will enhance filling and freeze dryer capacity for large molecule vaccines and biologic products. The project will be a Center of Excellence for Merck Animal Health, supporting the company’s broader manufacturing network across the U.S. and internationally. Site preparation and facility design will begin immediately, with commercial manufacturing slated to start in 2030.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, Richard DeLuca, President, Merck Animal Health, said, “Our De Soto manufacturing facility is strategically located in the heart of the Animal Health Corridor. This region is renowned for its concentration of animal health companies, fostering an unparalleled ecosystem for innovation, collaboration and industry leadership. 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. This initiative also reflects our dedication to advancing animal health and our on-going investment in the communities where we operate.”
Laura Kelly, Governor, State of Kansas, added, “This extraordinary investment by Merck Animal Health underscores my administration’s commitment to securing a strong economic future for our state and ensuring prosperity for generations to come. Public-private partnerships that lead to major global projects, such as those with Merck, Fiserv and Panasonic – just to name a few recent successes – are occurring because people believe in Kansas. They believe in who we are, what we are doing, and the direction we have taken.”
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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