German Pharmaceutical Company Expanding In Sheboygan Falls

A German pharmaceutical company is expanding in Sheboygan Falls with the help of state tax credits.

MilliporeSigma, a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical giant Merck KGaA, will get $1.25 million in state tax credits for an 80,000-square-foot expansion of a its Sheboygan County facility that produces stains, dyes, fragrances and flavors.

The company also operates plants in Madison and Milwaukee, employing 1,000 people in the state, said MilliporeSigma’s CEO Udit Batra.

The deal announced this week with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is contingent upon MilliporeSigma hiring 175 new employees at the Sheboygan Falls plant in the next three years. The company must also make a $60 million capital investment and retain its current level of employees over the next three years.

“They have to meet each of those criteria to get the full amount so it’s up to $1.25 million,” said Gov. Scott Walker at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility.

Walker said company employees have mentioned the state’s negotiations to bring tech manufacturer Foxconn to southeastern Wisconsin. That company plans to make liquid crystal display screens in Wisconsin and MilliporeSigma officials think there could be opportunities to become a supplier.

Walker said that prospect was not an issue in negotiations with MilliporeSigma. The prospect of 175 new jobs, however, did play a role in the expansion and the state tax credits.

Sara Spicer, a marketing specialist with the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation, called MilliporeSigma one of the county’s “leading employers,” and added, “We wouldn’t have family-sustaining wages if it wasn’t for companies like that here in our county.”

Spicer said Sheboygan County doesn’t focus on recruiting new businesses, “We don’t need to relocate anybody. We have great companies here that are willing to expand.”

The facility is expected to be operating by the end of next year.