MilliporeSigma, subsidiary of Merck, Opens Bioprocessing Production Center Worth Over $335.75 Million in Daejeon, South Korea

The "Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Center" in Daejeon, South Korea, is now open, MilliporeSigma announced from Burlington, Massachusetts, in an announcement dated 29 October 2026. MilliporeSigma is the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

The company said the facility represents an investment of more than USD 335.75 million, which makes it the company's largest Life Science investment in the Asia-Pacific to date.

Investment Size and Site Footprint

The Daejeon center covers 44,500 square meters. According to the company, it expands regional manufacturing capacity for critical materials and solutions used in the development and production of biologic medicines.

The site is intended to give biopharmaceutical manufacturers across Asia-Pacific closer access to the materials and solutions they need to develop and produce biologic medicines. The company said the opening advances its in-region-for-region strategy, which is meant to bring critical products closer to customers across Asia-Pacific.

What Daejeon Will Produce

From the new center, the company will supply bioprocessing products used in early process development through commercial-scale manufacturing.

Several categories of products are included, such as cell culture media in dry powder and liquid formats, among them pre-GMP small-scale custom products offered through imMEDIAte ADVANTAGE®.

The range also covers process liquids and ready-to-use cleaning-in-place solutions, along with single-use sterile sampling solutions based on the NovaSeptum® Sterile Sampling System.

The company described the output as spanning the points in the production lifecycle at which biologics manufacturers rely on such materials, from the earliest stages of process development to commercial-scale manufacturing.

Leadership Emphasizes Supply Reliability

Jean-Charles Wirth, Member of the Executive Board and CEO of Life Science of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, framed the investment around supply reliability.

"Reliable access to critical materials is essential at every stage of biologics manufacturing," Wirth said. He added that Daejeon brings advanced production closer to biopharma manufacturers across Asia-Pacific, giving them greater supply confidence as they move from development to commercial scale.

Wirth said the center adds the regional capacity customers need and delivers the quality and consistency they expect from the company.

Environmental and Digital Design

The company characterized the Daejeon facility as state-of-the-art and designed with environmental performance in mind. Its stated design goals include eliminating on-site fossil-fuel use and improving energy and water efficiency.

On the operational side, the company said integrated digital systems at the center support automated data capture and end-to-end batch traceability.

Corporate Background

The announcement was published by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

The company notes that in the United States and Canada, its subsidiaries operate under the umbrella brand EMD, while MilliporeSigma is identified as its U.S. and Canada Life Science business The Daejeon announcement was issued from Burlington, Massachusetts, where MilliporeSigma is based.

The company positioned the new center as a response to the needs of biopharmaceutical manufacturers in the region, emphasizing proximity of supply, regional production capacity, and consistency of quality as customers progress from development work to commercial-scale production of biologic medicines.