Merck Korea, the local subsidiary of the German science and technology giant, said Thursday that it has completed expansion work of its local production plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

In October 2020, the company announced plans to invest 20 million euros ($21 million) into expanding facilities at the plant to produce key materials for organic light-emitting diode displays that had been imported from Germany.

“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,” said Michael Heckmeier, head of display solutions at Merck, during the opening ceremony Wednesday.

Kim Woo-kyu, managing director of Merck Korea, stressed Korea’s dominant market position that takes up more than 80 percent of the global OLED display market.

“Merck is committed to supporting Korean panel makers in leading the market by providing a strong, reliable supply network of display materials,” he added.

In order to develop next-generation displays, the quality and purity of OLED materials are the two most important factors affecting the performance and lifetime of the devices.

The newly installed equipment for sublimation and vacuum deposition processes is expected to help yield the best level of performance and quality of the locally produced materials.

Merck entered the Korean market in 1989. It operates several production plants and research centers for display and semiconductor materials, with about 1,500 workers hired.