SAN DIEGO–EMD Chemicals’ Biosciences site in San Diego has achieved ISO 9001: 2008 certification, as verified by an independent auditor.

According to the International Organization for Standards (ISO), ISO 9001 “provides the requirements for a quality management system that is a framework for an organization to control its processes in order to achieve objectives including customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance and continual improvement.” Certification serves as a means for companies to “increas[e] the confidence of their business partners, customers and regulators in their products and services.”

“Achieving the globally-recognized ISO 9001: 2008 certification that objectively verifies our business has good processes in place affirms our commitment to meeting the highest standards for satisfying customers and bringing innovative solutions to them,” said Fabien Marino, San Diego Site Manager, EMD Chemicals.

EMD Chemicals is the North American affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The company’s site in San Diego was recently designated as headquarters for Merck’s global Biosciences business, which features the well-known Calbiochem® and Novagen® brands supplied to the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and academic research industries.

EMD Chemicals is in the process of consolidating all its core US capabilities in Biosciences into the San Diego site by the end of 2009. When the transition is completed, the company will be better positioned for bringing innovative solutions to customers and achieving long-term growth by having all Biosciences support functions – such as research and development, manufacturing, product management, distribution, quality assurance, and technical and sales support services – integrated and collaborating in one location.

About EMD Chemicals Inc.

EMD Chemicals represents the North American chemical sector of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. It is an international organization with nearly 1,000 employees and revenues of more than $US 300 million in 2008, providing specialty chemicals for pharmaceutical, biotech, cosmetic, automotive, plastics and other industrial applications. With headquarters in Gibbstown, N.J., EMD Chemicals is also engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of a broad array of reagents used for life science research. Its sister company, EMD Crop BioScience located in Milwaukee, Wis., specializes in plant growth enhancement products for agricultural applications, including Optimize®. EMD Chemicals is known in the market by its product brands including Iriodin®, Xirallic®, Rona®, Calbiochem®, Novabiochem® and Novagen®, among others.

About Merck KGaA

Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total revenues of € 7.6 billion in 2008, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by 32,800 employees in 59 countries. Its success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck’s operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and free shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S. subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated and has been an independent company ever since.