First visit to Songdo Plant 1 on the 3rd, overseeing key facility inspections immediately after completion Accelerating outreach to global pharma with a division-of-labor system linking Syracuse in the U.S. and Songdo in Korea Maximizing production stability and efficiency by extensively adopting data-driven process technologies Securing global certifications within this year and starting commercial operations next year, six months ahead of the original schedule
On July 3, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin visited Plant 1 of the Lotte Biologics Songdo Campus, located in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, to conduct on-site management. Chairman Shin (second from left) is being briefed on the production process in front of a 15,000-liter bioreactor in the plant’s production building. Provided by Lotte Group.
On July 3, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin visited Plant 1 of the Lotte Biologics Songdo Campus in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, to personally check on the construction status. Following his inspection in April of the group’s overseas distribution and food operations in Vietnam, he is now expanding his on-site activities to the bio sector, which has been designated as a future growth engine for the group.
This on-site visit took place immediately after Songdo Plant 1 completed its core construction work and obtained use approval from the local government, about two years after groundbreaking. Accompanying him were senior executives including Lotte Biologics Co-CEOs James Park and Shin Yu-yeol, and Lotte E&C CEO Oh Il-geun, whose company was in charge of the construction.
After examining the plant’s key manufacturing lines, Chairman Shin received a briefing on the current sales activities targeting overseas pharmaceutical companies and on the mid- to long-term strategy. He stressed that the bio business is a critical pillar that will drive a fundamental restructuring of the group, and called for seamless execution of subsequent milestones scheduled after completion of the facilities.
With building use approval granted, the placement of production equipment and establishment of internal IT networks has entered the final stage. Lotte Biologics plans to operate a dual-site structure in which its Syracuse, U.S. facility will handle early-stage clinical materials and small-volume production, while the Songdo plant in Korea will be dedicated to large-scale commercial manufacturing. From the initial design phase, the company actively incorporated digital technologies such as an automated manufacturing execution system, digital twins, and computational fluid dynamics simulations to enhance product consistency and operational efficiency.
Full-scale test runs and validation of the production processes are scheduled to begin in the second half of this year. The company aims to complete Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification by year-end, about six months earlier than originally planned. Once a stable foundation for commercial operation is in place, it is expected to accelerate its full-fledged push into the global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) market.
Kim Sang-jun
AI-translated with ChatGPT. Provided as is; original Korean text prevails.
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