Merck Opens Bioprocessing Center in South Korea
Merck's largest life sciences investment to date in the Asia-Pacific region expands regional manufacturing capacity.
Merck has opened its new bioprocessing production center for the Asia-Pacific region in Daejeon, South Korea. The investment in the center totals more than 300 million euros and is the company’s largest life sciences investment to date in the Asia-Pacific region. The 44,500m² facility expands Merck’s regional manufacturing capacity for critical materials and solutions used in the development and production of biologic drugs. This will provide biopharmaceutical manufacturers throughout the Asia-Pacific region with faster access to the materials and solutions they need for the development and production of biologics.
“Reliable access to critical materials is crucial at every stage of biologics manufacturing,” said Jean-Charles Wirth, a member of Merck’s Executive Board and CEO of Life Science. “Daejeon brings advanced manufacturing closer to biopharmaceutical manufacturers in the Asia-Pacific region and strengthens supply security during the transition from development to commercial production. The center provides the regional capacity that customers need and delivers the quality and consistency they expect from Merck.”
From Daejeon, Merck will supply bioprocessing products used from early-stage process development through commercial-scale manufacturing. These include cell culture media in dry powder and liquid forms, including small-scale, custom pre-GMP products via Immediate Advantage, process fluids and ready-to-use solutions for cleaning-in-place (CIP), as well as sterile single-use sampling solutions based on the NovaSeptum Sterile Sampling System. These products help customers accelerate development, scale up production, maintain controlled manufacturing environments, and reduce the risk of contamination. Raw materials free of animal-derived components are used for cell culture media and process fluids. Manufacturing is carried out in accordance with globally uniform quality standards.
“The completion of the new bioprocessing production center by Merck, a leading global science and technology company, marks a historic turning point for Daejeon’s development into a global bio-hub—not only for Korea, but for the entire world,” said Tae-Jeong Heo, Mayor of Daejeon. “We will do everything in our power to optimally integrate Merck’s key technologies in Daedeok Innopolis with local expertise. Furthermore, we will strategically deploy the city’s resources to build a world-leading biotechnology ecosystem through close collaboration among industry, universities, research institutions, and hospitals.”
The center’s integrated digital ecosystem supports automated data collection and end-to-end batch traceability. This increases process transparency and contributes to quality management as well as regulatory compliance.
The facility is designed to operate without fossil fuels on-site while simultaneously increasing energy and water efficiency—through the use of solar energy, a heat pump system, energy recovery in the ventilation systems, and the reuse of rainwater.
The center in Daejeon is a key component of Merck’s “In-Region-for-Region” strategy. It builds on recent investments in the company’s global network, including BioReliance®’s pharmaceutical product testing facility in Darmstadt and the filtration manufacturing facility in Blarney, Ireland. Within this network, Merck brings key products and services closer to its customers while ensuring consistent quality standards worldwide.
