Merck completes construction of Asia-Pacific’s largest production center in Daejeon’s Dungok, accelerating self-reliance in biopharma materials, parts and equipment

[Financial News, Daejeon] By Kim Won-jun. Merck, a global life sciences company, has established its largest production facility in the Asia-Pacific region in the Dungok District of Yuseong District, Daejeon. The facility is expected to mark an important turning point not only in stabilizing domestic supply chains for key biomaterials, which have been heavily dependent on imports, but also in Daejeon’s emergence as a global bio hub.
Daejeon Metropolitan City held a completion ceremony for the Merck Daejeon Production Center in the Dungok District of Yuseong District on the 29th. Around 200 people attended, including Jean-Charles Wirth, CEO of Merck Life Science, officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Daejeon Metropolitan City, and representatives from industry, academia and research institutions.
A total of 430 billion won (about 300 million euros) was invested in building the production center, Merck’s largest-ever single investment in the Asia-Pacific region. Located on a site of about 43,000 square meters (about 13,000 pyeong), the center will specialize in the mass production of key biomaterials, including powdered cell culture media and related solutions, as well as raw and auxiliary materials for drug development and manufacturing.
With the facility’s completion, domestic biopharmaceutical companies will be able to secure a stable supply of essential raw and auxiliary materials that they have long relied on importing. The center’s operations are also expected to create at least 300 new jobs and give momentum to tailored training for skilled workers in connection with the infrastructure of the Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone, as well as to building a mutually beneficial ecosystem with local materials, parts and equipment companies.
“It is essential to secure a stable supply of key materials throughout the biopharmaceutical manufacturing process,” said Jean-Charles Wirth, CEO of Merck Life Science. “By providing advanced production capabilities close to companies in the Asia-Pacific region, we will build confidence in the reliability of supply.”
Heo Tae-jeong, mayor of Daejeon, emphasized, “The completion of a production center by Merck, a world-class biotechnology company, is a historic turning point in Daejeon’s emergence as a global biotechnology hub. We will spare no effort in providing full support so that the Daedeok Special Zone’s foundational technologies and regional capabilities can be brought together effectively.”
Meanwhile, the completion of the Merck Daejeon Production Center is expected to make a significant contribution to reducing risks across the domestic biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) sector and the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, amid growing instability in global supply chains. Raw and auxiliary materials such as culture media, which are essential to biopharmaceutical production, have long been largely dependent on imports, leaving a persistent risk of production disruptions in the event of logistics crises or trade friction. With this new base in Daejeon, domestic biopharmaceutical companies will be able to gain a tangible competitive advantage through shorter delivery times and lower logistics costs.
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter