Merck announced that it has completed its OLED manufacturing capacity expansion project at its Poseung site in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Merck invested around 20 million Euros to install sublimation equipment and an OLED vacuum deposition unit.
From the left, Jung Do Young, Director General for Economic Planning of Gyeonggi-do, WooKyu Kim, Managing Director of Merck Korea, Choi Won Yong, Deputy Mayor of Pyeongtaek City
Merck began to lay the foundation for R&D, production and the stable supply of OLED materials to Korean panel makers in 2005, as part of its successful strategy of achieving success through domestic research and production. The company continuously interacts with OLED researchers from Korean panel companies so that Korea can continue to lead the OLED industry, and Merck develops materials for OLED TV and flexible, rollable and foldable OLED displays together with its customers.
The new equipment, installed at the Poseung site, will improve the analysis and quality inspection capabilities of Merck's OLED materials. This will enable the company to provide specialized services to Korean customers and Merck expects to commence stable operations before the end of 2022.
Merck is also planning to add an OLED process simulator to the development process. This simulator will be used for the study of correlation between OLED materials and process properties which occur in the process of deposition. The new simulator will enable Merck to predict possible defects caused by materials in the customer's manufacturing process and will assist in developing improved materials.
OLED sublimation equipment
Merck considers Korea as one of its core partners as the country serves as the hub for product research and manufacturing.
Merck held an opening ceremony on June 8, 2022. Michael Heckmeier, Head of Display Solutions commenting on this milestone said, Korea is an important innovation and production hub for Merck. As the OLED market continues to grow not only in TV and smartphones but also in various mobile applications such as tablets and laptops, we believe this investment will support our customers to drive innovations in the display industry faster and more efficiently. With the operation of the new sublimation units and vacuum deposition equipment, we can now quickly respond to customer requests and demands in Asia and contribute to the development and reliable supply of materials for advanced, high-purity OLED panels that are much in demand.
