Merck, a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in the healthcare, life science and performance materials sectors, has inaugurated an OLED Application Center (OAC) in Korea (Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province). Johannes Baillou, Chairman of the Board of Partners of E. Merck KG, Walter Galinat, President and CEO of the Performance Materials business sector, Udo Heider, Head of the OLED business, Michael Grund, Managing Director of Merck Korea and many distinguished guests including Rolf Mafael, German Ambassador, Yongrae Kim, Director General of Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE), and representatives from Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Pyeongtaek City Government, Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI), Samsung Display(SDC), LG Display(LGD) attended the official ceremony held on May 28, 2015. 

To strengthen its commitment to OLED research, Merck invested over EUR 7 million (US $7.67 million) to establish the OLED Application Center in Poseung in 2015. The plan was part of efforts to further increase customer satisfaction and capture competitive advantage by better serving Korean customers and helping to shorten their time to market. ”This investment is based on our continued faith in Korea’s leadership of global display industry and confidence in the industry’s long-term growth,” said Johannes Baillou.

 “OLED Application Center has a range of equipment for OLED evaporation testing and reliability analysis and will introduce other advanced processes such as inkjet printing through continuous further investment. With the launch of the new center, Merck Korea now runs both an OLED Physics Application Center and a Chemical Application Center established in 2011 at one site, a first in Asia,” emphasized Walter Galinat.

Merck Korea’s project team spent one year on the design and construction of the new building and was supported by Merck’s engineering team from Darmstadt. The building features cleanroom facilities and equipment that meet international standards; fire protection and safety were a top priority. With construction having been completed last February, the building has been commissioned and the first blue device was successfully produced on April 2, 2015.

“We at Merck will continue efforts based on our customer-centric strategy of helping our customers succeed in their markets. We are committed to research and development of advanced technologies that live up to our customers’ needs and expectations. I believe this is the key factor for a successful partnership. We develop today what our customers will apply tomorrow,” said Michael Grund.

In 2002, Merck Korea established Merck Advanced Technologies to consolidate its liquid crystals business as well as all operational activities. This initial investment consisted of a production center and a warehouse building in Poseung. In 2008, Merck decided to invest EUR 11 million in a new Advanced Technology Center, which was inaugurated in May 2010. In October 2011 Merck opened its first Chemical Application Center outside Germany in Korea. In May 2015 Merck Advanced Technologies  was renamed Merck Performance Materials.