Celltrion to Build 3rd Plant in Songdo... Also Plans 4th Plant Construction

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Celltrion is set to accelerate the construction of its 3rd plant and Global Biotechnology Research Center (hereafter Research Center) by starting site blasting in Songdo New City, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. Alongside this, the company plans to promote the construction of the 4th plant to speed up the creation of a complex bio-town.

On the 18th, Celltrion stated, "To establish a stable supply system and produce various products in the future, we will build a 60,000ℓ scale biopharmaceutical 3rd plant and also construct a large-scale 'one-stop' research center for research and development (R&D), process development, and clinical trials."

The 3rd plant is planned to be built as a four-story building on a 4,700㎡ (approximately 1,500 pyeong) site within the existing 2nd plant area. The Research Center will be established on a nearby site of the 2nd plant with a land area of 10,033㎡ (approximately 3,000 pyeong), consisting of one basement floor and six above-ground floors. Celltrion will invest a total of 500 billion KRW for this. The 3rd plant aims for completion in May 2023, and the Research Center in July 2022.

The 3rd plant is expected to begin commercial production from June 2024 after completing validation to verify the suitability and effectiveness of biopharmaceutical production facilities. Upon completion, Celltrion will secure production facilities with a total annual capacity of 250,000ℓ, adding to the existing 190,000ℓ capacity of the 1st and 2nd plants.

In particular, the 3rd plant plans to install eight bioreactors each with a capacity of 7,500ℓ, enabling the company to flexibly respond to diverse biopharmaceutical production demands. The construction of the 3rd plant and Research Center is expected to create approximately 3,000 new jobs. Of these, 2,000 employees will be assigned to the Research Center to discover various new pipelines.

The 200,000ℓ scale production facility planned for establishment in Songdo, Incheon, will be developed as the 4th plant and a complex bio-town. Originally, the 3rd plant was to be built with a 200,000ℓ capacity, but the production scale was adjusted to shorten the establishment period and to specialize the facility for small-volume, multi-product manufacturing.

Once the 4th plant is completed, Celltrion’s production capacity in South Korea alone will reach 450,000ℓ. Celltrion plans to secure a total production capacity of 600,000ℓ including overseas plants by 2030.

A Celltrion official said, "We will actively respond to the rapidly increasing global demand for biopharmaceuticals by accelerating the construction of the 3rd plant and Global Biotechnology Research Center," adding, "We will also take the lead in developing a global bio-healthcare ecosystem centered on Songdo, Incheon."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.