MilliporeSigma Announces the Opening of €300 Million Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Center in Daejeon, South Korea

Burlington, Massachusetts, Oct. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

• The company’s largest life science investment in Asia-Pacific to date expands regional manufacturing capacity
• Integrated digital systems support automated data capture and end-to-end batch traceability
• Advances the company’s in-region-for-region strategy, bringing critical products closer to customers across Asia-Pacific
• State-of-the-art facility designed to eliminate on-site fossil-fuel use and improve energy and water efficiency 

Burlington, Massachusetts, October 29, 2026 – MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced the opening of a new Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Center in Daejeon, South Korea. The center 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 company’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.


"Reliable access to critical materials is essential at every stage of biologics manufacturing,” said Jean-Charles Wirth, Member of the Executive Board and CEO, Life Science of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “Daejeon brings advanced production closer to biopharma manufacturers across Asia-Pacific, giving them greater supply confidence, as they move from development to commercial scale. The center adds the regional capacity customers need and delivers the quality and consistency they expect from us.”

From Daejeon, the company 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 completion of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Center, a world-leading bioscience company, marks a historic turning point in Daejeon’s rise as a global bio hub—not just for Korea, but for the world." said Tae-Jeong Heo, Mayor of Daejeon. “We will provide our full support to ensure that Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s foundational technologies at the Daedeok Innopolis and the capabilities of the local community can be brought together seamlessly. We will focus the city’s resources on building a world-class global bio ecosystem through close collaboration among industry, academia, research institutions, and hospitals.”

The center’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 center is a key part of the company’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, the company is bringing critical products and services closer to customers while applying consistent global quality standards.

About the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 27,000 employees and more than 55 total manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics.

More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2025, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 21.1 billion in 65 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.  

Follow MilliporeSigma on X (formerly Twitter) @MilliporeSigma, on Facebook @MilliporeSigma and on LinkedIn.

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• MilliporeSigma Announces the Opening of €300 Million Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Production Center in Daejeon, South Korea

Tyler Gagnon
MilliporeSigma
tyler.gagnon@milliporesigma.com