THE MERCK WAY - Merck KGaA

WHEN YOU’VE PROSPERED IN BUSINESS
FOR OVER 300 YEARS, YOU MUST HAVE DONE
A FEW THINGS RIGHT.
We’ve made history – but that’s no reason to sit back and relax.
Merck is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company
with roots dating back to the year 1668. Since that time, a lot
has happened, we’ve achieved a great deal – and a strong future
lies ahead of us.
By purchasing what would later become the Angel Pharmacy
in Darmstadt – the origins of the still family-owned company –
Friedrich Jacob Merck ventured a new start in 1668.
At the turn of the 18th century, market regulation became tighter
and the sale of medicines by “charlatans, barber surgeons and
mongers” was highly restricted – an opportunity for pharmacists
with entrepreneurial farsightedness.
Emanuel Merck, who took over the pharmacy in 1816, made the
fi rst step from the pharmacy to a global company. He initiated
the move to industrial-scale production. In pharmacy, he laid the
foundations for the transition from a craft to a science.
When Emanuel Merck died in 1855, the fi rm had about 50 employees.
At the turn of the 20th century, the company already had
1,000 employees and its portfolio had grown to 10,000 products.
Driven by the pioneering spirit that characterized the late 19th
century, Merck established numerous subsidiaries abroad, including
Merck & Co. in the United States, which today only shares
the name with us.
The acquisition of Serono of Switzerland made Merck one of the
world’s leading biotech companies. With the purchase of Millipore
of the United States, Merck is now a leading global player in the
life sciences market.
Today, approximately 40,000 people work for Merck. And they’ll
continue doing more than just a few things right.
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