Merck KGaA Opens Over €300 Million Bioprocessing Production Center in South Korea
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 29, German group Merck KGaA officially opened its Asia-Pacific bioprocessing production center in the International Science and Business Belt in Daejeon, South Korea. The facility represents a total investment of more than €300 million, covers an area of 44,500 square meters, and primarily produces cell culture media, process liquids, cleaning solutions, and sterile sampling products. The project is the largest single investment to date by Merck's Life Science business in the Asia-Pacific region and will supply critical production materials to biopharmaceutical companies in South Korea and across the Asia-Pacific.
The new center is located in the Dungok area of Yuseong District, Daejeon. Its production scope covers dry powder and liquid cell culture media, small-batch custom media for pre-clinical production, process liquids, ready-to-use clean-in-place solutions, and related products based on the NovaSeptum sterile sampling system. Cell culture media and process liquids will use raw materials free of animal-derived components and will comply with Merck's unified global quality standards.
The production facility is equipped with an integrated digital management system that supports automatic collection of production data and full batch traceability, covering raw materials, production processes, and product quality management. The center also features automated production and logistics facilities to support biopharmaceutical companies' material supply needs from early process development through to commercial manufacturing.
The new center employs solar power, heat pumps, air handling unit energy recovery, and rainwater reuse technologies. According to the facility design plan published by Merck, the site aims to operate without fossil fuels during on-site operations and to improve energy and water use efficiency.
The project was supported by a trilateral investment cooperation arrangement among the South Korean government, the City of Daejeon, and Merck in May 2023. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 29, 2024, and the facility was officially opened on October 29, 2026. South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated that government and local agencies participated in site selection, permitting, and investment coordination. The new center plans to reach a workforce of approximately 300 by 2028.
Products from the new center will supply domestic biopharmaceutical customers in South Korea and be exported to other Asia-Pacific markets. Merck is simultaneously advancing BioReliance pharmaceutical testing capabilities in Darmstadt, Germany, and establishing a filtration product manufacturing facility in Blarney, Ireland, forming a cross-regional supply network covering biopharmaceutical development, production materials, and testing services.
