Monsanto Expands Herbicides Plant, Prepares for Bayer Merger

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) (St. Louis, Missouri) recently reported a healthy fiscal quarter as it prepares for its merger with Bayer AG (Leverkusan, Germany). Industrial Info is tracking $1.3 billion in active Monsanto projects and $1.4 billion in Bayer projects. Bayer clinched the $66 billion bid for Monsanto last year after months of negotiation, and the move will dramatically expand Bayer's footprint in the agricultural sector.

The companies continue clearing trade hurdles across the world to allow the merger to occur. In a conference call regarding the company's performance, Monsanto Chief Executive Officer Hugh Grant said, "Bayer continues to lead the filing process with support from Monsanto and continues to target closing by the end of the year. The filing for the European Union (EU) is expected to submitted in the next few days. ... Once the EU filing is in, all key initial submissions will have been made." For more information on the Bayer-Monsanto merger, see September 15, 2016, article - Bayer-Monsanto Merger Encompasses $3.25 Billion of Projects.

For the company's third fiscal quarter, which ended May 31, Monsanto reported net income of $843 million, compared to $717 million in the same quarter of the previous year.

Among the largest Monsanto projects being tracked by Industrial Info is the expansion of an herbicides plant in Luling, Louisiana. The project will include constructing a new building, production units infrastructure and utilities to support an increase in the production of dicamba, used in the production of Roundup herbicides. Jacobs Engineering Group Incorporated (NSYE:JEC) (Dallas, Texas) is acting as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor on the project, which has a total investment value (TIV) of approximately $975 million. The project kicked off earlier this year and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Also on Monsanto's books is the construction of a grassroot cotton seed processing plant in Lubbock, Texas. The $140 million project kicked off in summer 2016 and is expected to be complete early next year. The 500,000-square-foot facility will serve as the company's U.S. hub for all commercial cotton seed operations. Lee Lewis Construction Incorporated (Lubbock, Texas) is acting as general contractor on the project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

In Indiana, the company is planning the construction of a $34.7 million grassroot seed processing and distribution facility. The 140,000-square-foot facility will be constructed on an 11-acre near Greenwood. The facility will include manufacturing machinery and research and development equipment. The project is expected to kick off this summer and take about a year to complete. Becknell Industrial (Lyons, Illinois) is performing design-build work on the project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

For information on these and other projects, subscribe to Industrial Info's Global Project Platform, which contains detailed information on more than 133,000 active projects valued at $13.69 trillion across the world.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.