This is a sponsored post by Merck
Merck inaugurated its first OLED production site in China, that has now begun operations, and it joins Merck's China-based production of liquid crystals and photoresist materials.
Merck's local OLED production will give Merck's China-based and Asia-based customers easier and faster access to OLED materials and a stable and more flexible supply chain.
The 900-sqm OLED production plant is located in Merck's Jinqiao hub in Shanghai, and has an initial investment of €9.8 million (CNY 77 million). The plant has introduced the unified-standards production equipment, technological process, digital operating model, quality control systems, as well as energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies from headquarters, covering the entire manufacturing processes from OLED materials purification and sublimation to the quality testing and packaging of finished products.
In the future, following its second-phase expansion phase, the plant will have an annual capacity of 6 tons. This is Merck's third OLED materials production site after Germany and South Korea.
Merck's Jinqiao hub in Shanghai
In the display industry, OLED is regarded as state-of-the-art technology for its excellent visual experiences. It is also known as the technology for the future of displays as it enables the production of foldable, rollable and even transparent displaysâ€, said Allan Gabor, Merck China President and Managing Director of Electronics China. In China, we are aiming at becoming the preferred partner of choice and an integral part of China's spectacular growth in the digital innovation by building both capability and capacity. Merck was the first multinational to set up an advanced OLED Technology Center in China, along with the operation of our OLED materials production site we've completed the localization of our OLED full-value-chain capabilities - from analytics and application to production, enabling more flexible and stable supply chains for customers in China and across Asia and playing an active role in driving the transformation of the display industry.
Together with the new OLED plant, Merck also inaugurated its €30 million (CNY 200 million), 3,300 square meter Electronics Technology Center China (ETCC) that includes Analytical Labs and Process Technology Labs (which will be joined by Application Labs and R&D Labs in the future). The ETCC features the company's cutting-edge analytic, sampling, application testing and R&D capabilities, and is equipped with a variety of advanced equipment and tools as well as top-notch technical talents and staffs . The ETCC will provide customers and partners in China with comprehensive technology services and integrated materials solutions with faster response and shorter time-to-solution, accelerating the materials innovation and technological evolution of new products and applications while contributing to the country's flourishing semiconductor and display industries.
Today's inauguration marks another important step forward in our investment strategy in China, said Kai Beckmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Electronics. The Electronics Technology Center China will play a crucial role for our ambitions to explore new materials-based innovations, expand local talent pools as well as leverage data and digital. We firmly believe that China will continue to be an efficient and sustainable source of growth and innovation for Merck, especially for our Electronics business.â
Merck provides a wide range of products and solutions based on materials innovation to enable the future of electronics in the data-driven world - from electronic materials and delivery services and systems for semiconductor manufacturing to liquid crystal, photoresist and OLED materials for displays through to effect pigments for coatings and cosmetics. In China, Merck runs three high-tech manufacturing sites - Shanghai Jinqiao, Shanghai Waigaoqiao and Suzhou Sites. In May, 2022, Merck announced plans to build its Semiconductor Solutions Site in China with an investment of CNY 550 million, establishing a series of mass production plants of semiconductor materials, warehouses and distribution centers to further expand its footprint in the Yangtze River Delta region.
As the leading enabler in the electronics industry, Merck has played a part in all significant display innovations, delivering high-tech material solutions for more than half of all flat-screen TVs, smartphones and tablets worldwide. Through a series of acquisitions in recent years, Merck today has a unique position in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Almost every chip in the world uses Merck's materials. The company participates in all seven critical front and back-end unit operations - doping, patterning, deposition, planarization, etching, cleaning, and back-end packaging. In China, Merck offers more than 150 products to around 100 chip makers across the country, covering their entire wafer fabrication and packaging processes.
About Merck
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 60,000 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 advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices, the company is everywhere. In 2021, Merck generated sales of €19.7 billion in 66 countries.
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics.
