Samsung Biologics continues manufacturing expansion at Bio Campus II in South Korea
Samsung Biologics’ Plant 5 — the first facility for its Bio Campus II in Songdo, South Korea — will be operational next month and add “fresh” capacity of 180,000 liters, the company announced at its annual general meeting of shareholders.
Once Plant 5 becomes operational in April, Samsung Biologics’ antibody manufacturing capacity will total 784,000L, according to the company.
The South Korean contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) said it is developing Bio Campus II in response to growing industry demand.
“We will open a new era of growth with Bio Campus II and further build on our capabilities to deliver our full potential, maximizing client and stakeholder satisfaction,” Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim told shareholders.
Samsung Biologics is moving forward with plans to expand its manufacturing capacity with the construction of Plant 6 at the campus.
“Following the completion of Plant 5 in March 2025, we plan to start the construction of Plant 6 to maintain the world’s No. 1 manufacturing capacity,” the company said in proxy material at Friday’s annual shareholder meeting. “We plan to continue the further development of Bio Campus II with additional manufacturing facilities until 2032.”
In 2024, Samsung Biologics had annual sales of 4.5 trillion South Korean won on a consolidated basis and 3.5 trillion South Korean won on a separate basis, while its annual contract value exceeded 5 trillion South Korean won for the first time since its founding in 2011 — with cumulative orders exceeding $16.3 billion.
“The full utilization of the existing Plants 1, 2 and 3, along with the successful ramp-up of Plant 4 supported robust revenue growth in 2024,” the company said, claiming it has secured 17 of the top 20 Big Pharma companies worldwide as customers and is now targeting the top 40.
Samsung Biologics’ positive financial results come on the heels of a 2.1 trillion South Korean won ($1.4 billion) contract with an unnamed European pharmaceutical company. The agreement, running through 2030, is the largest in the company’s history.
The company said it is “confident that 2025 will be a year of opening a new chapter” for Samsung Biologics “even though we expect to face even more intense competition in the CDMO industry.”
At the end of 2024, the company said it completed the construction of a dedicated antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) facility to “explore new business opportunities,” while accelerating the expansion of its business portfolio with investment in emerging modalities and platform technologies such as ADCs, cell and gene therapy, artificial intelligence, and other areas.