- Merck has opened its Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Center in Daejeon, South Korea, following an investment of more than €300 million, its largest Life Science investment in the Asia-Pacific region to date.
- The 44,500-square-meter facility will manufacture and supply bioprocessing products, including cell culture media, process liquids and sterile sampling solutions, for biologic medicine development and production.
Merck has opened its new Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Center in Daejeon, South Korea, following an investment of more than €300 million. The 44,500-square-meter facility represents the company’s largest Life Science investment in Asia-Pacific to date and expands its regional manufacturing capacity for materials and solutions used in biologic medicines production.
The center will supply bioprocessing products for applications ranging from early process development to commercial-scale manufacturing. Its portfolio includes dry powder and liquid cell culture media, pre-GMP small-scale custom products through imMEDIAte ADVANTAGE, process liquids, ready-to-use cleaning-in-place solutions and single-use sterile sampling solutions based on the NovaSeptum® Sterile Sampling System.
Cell culture media and process liquids will use animal-component-free raw materials and be manufactured to consistent global quality standards. The facility’s integrated digital ecosystem is designed to support automated data capture and end-to-end batch traceability, with the aim of improving process transparency, quality management and regulatory compliance.
The facility is also designed to eliminate on-site fossil fuel use and improve energy and water efficiency. Its systems include solar power, heat pumps, energy recovery in air handling units and rainwater reuse.
The Daejeon center forms part of Merck’s in-region-for-region strategy, which aims to bring products and services closer to customers while maintaining consistent global quality standards. It builds on other investments across the company’s network, including BioReliance® drug product testing in Darmstadt, Germany, and filtration manufacturing in Blarney, Ireland.
