Pros
Great, but rapidly aging product lines. Decent benefits but there is room to improve. Most people in the US are great to work with. Most US managers are flexible.
Cons
Current management is all about German parent company Merck KGaA with little interest/focus on our EMD Millipore/US customers and their needs. Merck KGaA's internal processes are quite burdensome and inhibit innovation. I have come to see Merck KGaA as a company more focused on meeting the requirements of their internal processes than actually developing or inventing any new products. Pity the poor US manager who is not at the beck and call of his/her German boss. Merck KGaA uses EMD Millipore as a cash cow (US$), and burdens EMD Millipore employees with a very heavy workload due to insufficient workforce and constant budget restraints/games in terms of adding head count in the US. However, these same constraints don't apply to our Merck colleagues who are able to hire for German positions whenever needed; in addition our German Merck colleagues have much better benefits - more vacation time, job protection, an actual pension, and better salaries. Recognition/promotions for women virtually nonexistent.
