MilliporeSigma Acquires BioControl to Strengthen Position in Food Safety Testing

• Acquisition complements MilliporeSigma’s existing products in food pathogen testing
• Enables MilliporeSigma to offer its customers complete workflow solutions for food pathogen testing

Billerica, Massachusetts, January 4, 2017 — MilliporeSigma today announced it has acquired BioControl Systems Inc., a global leader in food safety testing. The acquisition opens growth opportunities for MilliporeSigma in the food and beverage space, particularly in the U.S. Confidentiality has been agreed on the financial details of the transaction.

BioControl’s established rapid detection technology and third-party validated testing platforms complement MilliporeSigma’s portfolio of instruments and consumables in its applied solutions business geared to the food pathogen testing workflow.

“BioControl’s acquisition strengthens our ability to help customers protect the global food supply by providing an expansive portfolio of state-of-the-art testing technology,” said Udit Batra, Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and CEO, MilliporeSigma. “BioControl’s innovative assays and validated kits, when combined with MilliporeSigma’s strengths in microbiology, filtration and e-commerce will create a strong global provider aimed at solving tough challenges in the food pathogen testing space.”

The global spotlight on the importance of food safety has grown given the increased incidents of outbreaks and recalls with foodborne diseases often caused by consuming a wide range of foods including undercooked meat, eggs, fresh produce and dairy products contaminated by Salmonella, Listeria, E.coli O157H7 and Campylobacter. BioControl’s product portfolio includes pathogen detection kits to identify these food poisoning bacteria in food and ingredients and its key customers include meat producers.

“MilliporeSigma is the best home for Biocontrol, our customers and our employees,” said Phil Feldsine, President and Chief Executive of BioControl. “MilliporeSigma’s global market presence as a leader in laboratory sciences will introduce BioControl’s innovative, customer oriented solutions to a much broader base worldwide while providing existing customers with access to MilliporeSigma’s food safety product portfolio and expertise. The opportunity for BioControl to become part of a world class 350-year-old organization with a reputation for doing it the right way is very rewarding.”

The acquisition is in line with MilliporeSigma’s strategy to expand in key geographies and provide a differentiated experience to customers in applied settings, including food and beverage safety testing. While the business will continue to focus on microbial quality control solutions for pharmaceutical production processes and products, an area where the business currently has leading market share, the acquisition will enable MilliporeSigma to offer a complete food pathogen testing platform to its customers in the food and beverage safety testing market.

Achelous Partners acted as financial advisor to BioControl on this transaction. Nixon Peabody LLP represented MilliporeSigma in the transaction.

About Biocontrol
BioControl is one of the leading companies in innovative rapid microbiology tests for food safety for more than 30 years. It offers a diverse third party validated product portfolio lines, which include industrial microbiology testing, rapid detection methods for food-borne pathogens, the quantitative measurement of microorganisms, and hygiene monitoring. The company primarily sells its products to food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, contract testing labs and government labs. BioControl is based in Bellevue, WA, with over 100 employees worldwide. In FY 2015, it generated revenue of $34 million. For further details: visit www.biocontrolsys.com.

About the Life Science Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has some 22,000 employees and 59 manufacturing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing, and testing services.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science, and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene-editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit  www.emdgroup.com.