Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
INTERVIEW Merck promotes advanced material tech for AI, 5G
Kai Beckmann, third from right, CEO Performance Materials at Merck, speaks during a stage talk event at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Thursday (KST). / Courtesy of Merck Korea
By Baek Byung-yeul
By Baek Byung-yeul
LAS VEGAS ― Kai Beckmann, CEO Performance Materials of Germany-based company Merck, promoted its cutting-edge high-tech materials used for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), fifth-generation (5G) network, internet of things (IoT) as well as smart cities at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
At the world's largest tech fair, Merck set up its promotional booth and the chief executive invited attendees to the talk he gave to share his vision about how high-tech materials are helping emerging technologies step up.
“At CES 2020, we share how our high-tech solutions contribute to bring technologies such as AI, 5G, IoT as well as autonomous driving and smart cities to the next level. This is where the digital future lies, and here we play a relevant role,” Beckmann told The Korea Times during an interview, Thursday (KST).
Beckmann decided to join the CES because the tech show is “the place to be for innovations in the electronics industry.”
“Here you can see innovations in the display industry but also experience what the future of mobility looks like. At the CES, you can sense and feel innovations and new ideas,” the chief executive said.
Merck is best known for providing highly sophisticated materials for displays such as LCD and OLED and its materials are also used for every major step in the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process.
To solidify its leadership in the high-tech materials business, Merck acquired two leading firms in the sector in 2019 ― Versum Materials, a U.S.-based electronic materials firm providing chemicals and gases used for semiconductors; and another U.S.-based company Intermolecular which produces materials for semiconductors, consumer electronics, cars and the aerospace industry.
By acquiring these firms, Beckmann said Merck is able to further accelerate innovations in the electronic materials industry.
“With the acquisitions of Versum and Intermolecular in 2019 and Ormet in 2015 we aim to create a leading electronic materials player focused on the semiconductor and display industries and to significantly strengthen the Performance Materials business sector. We are more than a manufacturer of innovative materials: We are the company behind the companies, advancing digital living,” he said.
Kai Beckmann, fifth from right, CEO Performance Materials at Merck, poses with members of the Korean Information Display Society at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Thursday (KST). / Courtesy of Merck Korea
Talking about which area Merck is expected to cooperate on more with its Korean client companies, Beckmann said the company will focus more on OLED and semiconductors, which have high potential of growth.
“Korean companies are leading players in innovating the electronics industry. We are proud to be a partner of those highly innovative corporations,” he said. “Major potential areas of growth for Korean customers are OLED for new form displays ― rollable, transparent and foldable ― and semiconductor materials, which is a growing market in this country.”
The CEO is also aware that the Korean government is making efforts to nurture local materials, parts and equipment businesses in high-tech and manufacturing industries, and said these attempts will make the country one of the strongest technology powerhouses.
“South Korea is currently focusing its efforts to foster its own materials, parts, and equipment industries. We appreciate the support plan of the Korean government to support small sized enterprises in materials, transfer of technologies and R&D. This will strengthen the industry in Korea and foster an ecosystem of innovations especially important in the highly innovative markets we are active in,” he added.