Merck, a leading science and technology company, has opened its new Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Centre in Daejeon, South Korea. The centre represents an investment of more than €300 million, the company’s largest Life Science investment in Asia-Pacific to date.
The 44,500-square-meter site expands the Merck’s regional manufacturing capacity for critical materials and solutions used in the development and production of biologic medicines. It gives biopharmaceutical manufacturers across Asia-Pacific closer access to the materials and solutions needed to develop and produce biologic medicines.
From Daejeon, Merck will supply bioprocessing products used from early process development through commercial-scale manufacturing. These include cell culture media in dry powder and liquid formats, including pre-GMP small-scale custom products through imMEDIAte ADVANTAGE®, process liquids and ready-to-use cleaning-in-place solutions; and single-use sterile sampling solutions based on the NovaSeptum® Sterile Sampling System. Together, they help customers accelerate development, scale production, maintain controlled manufacturing environments and reduce contamination risk. Cell culture media and process liquids will use animal-component-free raw materials and be manufactured to consistent global quality standards.
The centre’s integrated digital ecosystem is designed to support automated data capture and end-to-end batch traceability, increasing process transparency and supporting quality management and regulatory compliance.
The facility is designed to eliminate the use of fossil fuels on-site while increasing energy and water efficiency through the use of solar power, a heat-pump system, energy recovery in air handling units, and rainwater reuse.
The Daejeon centre is a key part of Merck’s in-region-for-region strategy. It builds on recent investments across the company’s global network, including BioReliance® drug product testing in Darmstadt, Germany, and filtration manufacturing in Blarney, Ireland. Across this network, Merck is bringing critical products and services closer to customers while applying consistent global quality standards.
