Merck's Daejeon facility investment to boost supply chain resilience, innovation in APAC

Merck reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Korea’s life science sector by unveiling details of its largest-ever Asian investment during the 9th Merck BioForum Korea 2025, held on Thursday in Seoul.

Christian Weber, Head of Cell Lines & Cell Culture at Merck, introduced the company’s new Daejeon biomanufacturing production site, which is under construction.

The Daejeon site officially broke ground in May 2024 and is expected to be fully operational with GMP readiness by 2026. Merck’s imMEDIAte ADVANTAGE lab will be operational earlier to support pre-GMP development and formulation.

The facility represents a €300 million (487.7 billion won) investment and is designed to bolster Merck’s supply chain stability and innovation capacity in the region. Once completed, the site will supply dry powder media, process liquids, and NovaSeptum products tailored to the needs of Korea’s rapidly growing biopharmaceutical industry.

“This is not only our biggest investment in Asia but also a strategic step forward in our efforts to support customers with regionalized supply chains and cutting-edge media innovation,” Weber said. “Korea offers a thriving life science ecosystem, world-class infrastructure, and a strong pool of talent, making it the ideal location for our new manufacturing hub.”

The Daejeon site will operate 24/7 and employ approximately 300 people. It will include dedicated production lines for dry powder meida, sterile process liquids, and hazardous goods, along with an automated storage and retrieval system.

The facility is expected to receive EXCiPACT certification, ensuring compliance with global pharmaceutical standards.

Weber underscored the facility’s importance in ensuring business continuity amid rising global supply chain risks.

“By bringing production closer to our customers, we can ensure faster lead times, reduced transportation risks, and stronger alignment in language and culture,” Weber said.

According to Merck, the Daejeon facility will also serve as a key site for the company’s sustainability goals as switching from air to truck transport for regional deliveries can cut travel time by more than 80 percent and reduce carbon emissions by over 70-folds.

Expanding capacity for sampling solutions at Daejeon

In a second session, Nadine Eberhardt, Senior Global Product Manager for Sampling, introduced the company’s strategic approach to sampling technologies and explained how the Daejeon site will play a pivotal role in ensuring regulatory-compliant, high-quality solutions for the Asia-Pacific region.

“Sampling is a critical step in biomanufacturing -- not just for quality control but also for ensuring operator safety and minimizing contamination risk,” Eberhardt said.

She emphasized that sampling systems, particularly those used for bioburden testing, must meet stringent Annex 1 regulatory guidelines to avoid contamination and ensure representative results.

Eberhardt stressed that Merck NovaSeptum’s closed and aseptic sampling system addresses these needs by offering plug-and-play functionality, ease of use, and strong contamination control -- all while reducing training time and eliminating the need for rinsing or cleaning steps.

Eberhardt confirmed that the NovaSeptum product line will now be produced at the Daejeon site, in addition to existing manufacturing hubs in Molsheim, France, and the U.S.

“This expansion allows us to get closer to our customers, improve responsiveness, and maintain consistency across our global quality system,” she said.

Global consistency through regional proximity

Both speakers highlighted the importance of Merck’s “in-region, for-region” supply chain strategy and agreed that the Daejeon investment ensures that customers across Korea and the wider Asia-Pacific region can benefit from faster delivery timelines, localized expert support, and consistent product quality regardless of manufacturing origin.

“All Merck production sites operate under globally harmonized systems for operations, equipment, quality design, and validation,” Eberhardt said. “Whether your materials come from Daejeon, Molsheim, or St. Louis, the performance and compliance are identical.”

Weber concluded that the company is building this facility not just for operational efficiency but for strategic partnership.

“We invite our customers to collaborate with us from early on -- whether it’s qualification, sampling strategies, or technical customization -- so we can shape the future of biomanufacturing together,” he said.