Lotte Biologics announces new Songdo Bio Campus expansion plans

Lotte Biologics was established in 2022 to foster one of Lotte Group’s core businesses. In May of that year, the company signed a contract to acquire Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)’s manufacturing facility in East Syracuse, New York, the U.S., for 280 billion won ($160 million). By January the following year, they had converted the facility into a biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) business, completing the acquisition. 

“Since the acquisition in January of last year, we have maintained a 99 percent success rate in batch production, ensuring stable production for our clients and earning a strong reputation among potential customers,” said Richard Lee, CEO of Lotte Biologics.

Lotte Biologics is now preparing to take a significant leap forward with renewed determination, breaking ground on a new bio campus in the Incheon Songdo Bio Cluster. Under the vision of becoming a “top ten global CDMO” by 2030, the company aims for a revenue of 1.5 trillion won ($1.1 billion).

“This bold investment decision and passion for entering the new bio-industry will serve as the foundation for Lotte Biologics to evolve beyond a typical CDMO firm,” Lee said at a press conference on Tuesday, one day before the Songdo Bio Campus groundbreaking ceremony.

Lotte Biologics plans to become a “globally competitive biopharmaceutical manufacturer,” providing innovative solutions and value for a better human life. To achieve this goal, the company plans to invest 4.6 trillion won ($3.3 billion) into the Songdo Bio Campus by 2030.

“Preparations are in full swing to write a new chapter in the history of Songdo Bio Campus,” Lee said.

The Songdo Bio Campus will encompass a total gross floor area of approximately 202,285 square meters and include three production plants and ancillary buildings. Each biopharmaceutical production plant will have a production capacity of 120,000 liters, for a total capacity of 360,000 liters.

The three plants will provide a total capacity of 400,000 liters when fully operational, including 360,000 liters in Songdo and 40,000 liters in Syracuse. The company also plans to establish a Bio-Venture Initiative to promote shared growth with bio-venture companies.

Plant 1 – the central section – has already broken ground and will feature an ortho-motorized bioreactor for the production of specialized biopharmaceuticals, as well as facilities for producing eight different drugs. This includes a 15,000-liter stainless steel bioreactor and a 3,000-liter bioreactor. 

"The 3,000-liter bioreactor, which is used for the intermediate stage of cell line cultivation in the 15,000-liter bioreactor, is designed to be able to produce its own main culture," said Jung Woo-chung, head of the EPC department at Lotte Biologics. 

Compared to building a separate high-titer facility, Jung said, the Titer Flex Quad Bioreactor System, which combines these bioreactors, “enhances the efficiency and flexibility of the production process to meet the demand for high-titer drug production.” 

Several competitors exist in the domestic bio-industry, but Lotte Biologics says that, unlike the standard capacities of 120L, 600L, 3,000L, and 15,000L offered by other companies, its system is designed to produce high-titer products in addition to standard-titer ones. 

“We have equipped our facility with four dual-type 3,000L reactors, allowing simultaneous production of high-titer products,” Jung said, “This is a unique competitive advantage that sets us apart from existing domestic companies.”

This means that the upcoming Songdo Bio Campus will feature a large-scale antibody drug production facility with a total capacity of 120,000 liters. 

According to Yoo Hyung-duk, Lotte Biologics’ chief operating officer, this setup allows the Syracuse Bio Campus to focus on clinical products, smaller-scale production, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADC)s, while the Songdo Bio Campus handles large-scale products, high-titer, and perfusion processes, offering a broader portfolio of options to clients. 

“One of Syracuse’s key strengths is its extensive experience with GMP approvals from over 62 counties and its highly skilled GMP workforce, which has produced over 120 batches of various antibody drugs annually for two decades,” Yoo said. “Conversely, the Songdo Bio Campus will excel in large-scale production and act as a leader within the bio cluster.” 

Yoo says the greatest strength and competitive edge of Lotte Biologics lies in the company’s “specialized workforce,” noting that while CDMO evaluations typically prioritize production capacity, the availability of experienced professionals is equally critical. 

Following the acquisition of the Syracuse Bio Campus from BMS, Kang Ju-eon, Lotte Biologics' chief planning and information security officer, says Lotte Biologics retained 99.2 percent of the existing employees, thereby absorbing their production and quality expertise into the company. This knowledge is now being transferred to Lotte Biologics’ plant in Songdo, where it is combined with the skills of top local talent. 

“This collaboration allows us to leverage Syracuse’s expertise in construction, operation, and management for our new Plant 1 ” said Jung. “We anticipate integrating Syracuse’s extensive know-how into our facilities.”

The Songdo Bio Campus is expected to generate approximately 37,000 jobs, with direct employment of 2,500 across three of Lotte Biologics' plans, and 7.6 trillion won ($5.5 billion) in production across industries.

Construction of the Songdo Campus began in March this year and is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026, followed by a nine-month validation process. According to Kang, the company aims for full operation by January 2027.