Sartorius eyes Korea opportunities through $265m investment

Sartorius has signed a land purchase agreement with the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ) as it preps to bring its biomanufacturing portfolio to the robust Korean market.

While Sartorius has run a sales and service office in South Korea for more than 30 years, the bioprocess vendor announced its intention to invest significantly in manufacturing operations in the region last November, pledging €270 million ($265 million) through the end of 2024.

Now building is set to commence, following the signing of the land purchase agreement in Songdo, the region of Korea that is home to biomanufacturing giants Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, and others.

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“In the country’s biopharma hub Songdo in Incheon, Sartorius’ manufacturing portfolio will include numerous products and solutions for fluid management, cell culture media, membrane filtration, and others,” Sartorius spokesperson Timo Lindemann told this publication.

“This investment responds to the dynamic development of the South Korean market as well as of further Asian markets.”

The investment will create facilities close to 270,000 square feet in size, consisting of a manufacturing plant for single-use bags, cell culture media and filters, as well as facilities for R&D in biopharmaceutical process, an application and training center with laboratories, and logistics services.

“Sartorius has been operating a sales and service office in South Korea for more than 30 years. The development of the biopharmaceutical industry in Asia and, in particular, South Korea, has entered a new phase characterized by a high innovation and investment pace on the part of our customers.

“With our significant investments in Songdo, we will be increasing capacities, moving production operations closer to our customers in the region and substantially accelerating our delivery speed.”

Sartorius’s eye on Incheon represents a trend among its peers. In July 2021, Thermo Fisher opened its Bioprocess Design Center (BDC) to support biomanufacturing in the region, while MilliporeSigma opened an M Lab Collaboration Center in Songdo back in 2016 to showcase its equipment and train industry in Korea.