Samsung Biologics lays down $1.5bn for fifth plant

The facility will boast 180,000 liters of bioreactor capacity, bringing Samsung Biologics’s total capacity in Songdo, Korea to 784,000 liters.

Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Samsung Biologics has confirmed it is pumping over KRW 1.98 trillion ($1.47 billion) into a fifth plant, with construction set to begin before June.

According to a regulatory filing published this morning, the project aims “to enhance the company’s competitiveness in biologics market by expanding its manufacturing facility.”

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The firm expects operations to begin in 2025 and once fully online the facility will offer drugmakers a manufacturing capacity of 180,000 L, bringing Samsung Biologics’ total biologics capacity to 784,000 across its site in Songdo, Incheon.

Samsung Biologis’ first plant has 30,000 L of capacity from six 5,000 L tanks while the second offers 150,000 L of capacity through 10 times 15,000 L fermenters (plus a further two 1,000 L stainless steel tanks for clinical manufacture). The third facility consists of 180,000 L of capacity from 12 times 15,000 L tanks, plus another two 1,000 L tanks.

The fourth ‘super plant’ when complete will add another 240,000 L of capacity. The project was first announced in 2020 and the first phase of operations began in October last year, bringing 60,000 L of capacity on line.

“The company’s existing Plants 1 through 3 are under near-full utilization, and Plant 4 is expected to commence full operations by midyear,” a Samsung Biologics spokesperson told BioProcess Insider.

It will also be the first facility to be constructed on Samsung Biologics’ second campus in Songdo. The CDMO paid KRW 426 billion last April to acquire ‘Bio Campus 2’ – an area of 350,000 square meters, which is about 30% bigger than the existing bio campus.

“While we cannot specify the number, we expect the second Bio Campus to house multiple large-scale plants and an open innovation center,” we were told.

The new plant follows a string of big pharma partnerships, the latest of which was a $185 million deal with Pfizer announced earlier this month.

Along with this plant, Samsung Biologics is increasing its US presence through a regional office in New Jersey expected to enhance communications and work in closer proximity to clients based in the US and Europe. The firm first entered the US in 2020 by setting up an R&D lab in the San Francisco area.