Korean bio 'Big 3' Samsung, Celltrion, SK to expand businesses in Songdo

As SK Bioscience announced its plan to open a new R & PD center in Songdo, Incheon, three Korean bio companies called 'Big 3,' including Celltrion, Samsung Biologics, and SK Bioscience, are expected to gather in Songdo Bio-cluster.

SK Bioscience announced on the 27th that it will build the global R & PD (Research & Process Development) center on a 34,413.8m^2 site in Incheon Technopark expansion complex in Songdo, Incheon. It signed a land purchase contract with the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority on the same day.

The Global R & PD Center, where institutes, factories, and offices will be located, is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024. The total project amount is about 300 billion won.

This is the first time that SK Bioscience will build its facilities in Songdo. It is planning to expand its R & D and production infrastructure, which are currently focused in Pangyo and Andong, Gyeongbuk. The L House, SK Bioscience's vaccine production facility in Andong, will be separately operated. It is also considering moving entire or parts of headquarters from Pangyo to Songdo.

SK Bioscience has decided to move its business base to Songdo to become a global bio company. Songdo International City is an important bio hub, where major Korean and global pharmaceutical bio companies are located. SK decided Songdo as its business site due to several advantages such as accessibility from airports, connectivity with Andong plant, and synergy with nearby industrial complexes.

Samsung Biologics is also expanding its business in Songdo. It recently submitted an application for purchase of a 357,366m^2 site for an industrial facility in Zone 11 to Incheon Economic Administration. The price of the site located nearby Samsung Biologics' Songdo office is 426 billion won.

In addition to the first to third plants operated in Songdo, Samsung Biologics is also building its fourth plant, the world's largest plant. It is planning to secure an absolute advantage in the global bio-production hub by building fifth and sixth plants as well.

Samsung Biologics started construction to expand its fourth plant (256,000 litres) in August last year. It is aiming to partially operate at the end of 2022, and start full operation in 2023. The fourth plant is a super plant that can handle all processes from cell line development to commercial production. When the fourth plant starts operation, Samsung Biologics will have a production capacity of a total of 620,000 litres.

Celltrion, which is operating two plants in Songdo, announced in November last year that it will build the third plant and the Global Biotechnology Research Center in Songdo. The third plant will have four stories and a production capacity of 60,000 litres. It will be built on 4,700m^2 land in the existing second plant site. The research center will be built on a 10,033m^2 site nearby its second plant and will have a total of 7 stories, including one basement floor and six ground floors.