Simplplanet and Bright Korea Sign Strategic Partnership for Innovation in Bio Materials Automation

Simplplanet Co., Ltd. (CEO Jung Il-doo), a developer of sustainable biomaterials and food ingredients, and Bright Korea Co., Ltd. (CEO Kang Hyojin), a specialist in semiconductor automation equipment, have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint development of an automated system for bio materials, components, and equipment.

This agreement aims to combine Bright Korea’s precision control and automation technology, accumulated in the semiconductor equipment sector, with Simplplanet’s expertise in cell culture and bioreactor-based food ingredient production, in order to lead the automation and smart factory transformation of the bio industry.

Bright Korea has built its technological capabilities through the development and manufacturing of semiconductor equipment. Recently, the company has begun to expand in earnest into the bio industry, securing multiple bio production facility automation projects from pharmaceutical companies.

Through this agreement, Bright Korea plans to extend its precision control and process automation capabilities-on par with those used in semiconductor equipment-to bioreactors and cell culture facilities, initiating the development of next-generation systems that maximize production efficiency and quality reproducibility.

Simplplanet is a food tech company that produces functional proteins and cell-derived food ingredients based on culture media derived from lactic acid bacteria. With this agreement, the company is making a pivotal shift from a simple food company to a “bio materials, components, and equipment company.”

CEO Jung Il-doo stated, “Automation of bioreactors will become the core competitive edge for the future of cultured food and functional ingredient industries. Through our collaboration with Bright Korea, Simplplanet will contribute to the efficiency of bio processes and the localization of equipment.”

This agreement is regarded as a model case of convergence between the semiconductor and bio industries. The combination of Bright Korea’s factory automation technology and Simplplanet’s cell culture process expertise is expected to lead to advances such as: ▲ automation of cultured meat and functional protein production facilities, ▲ localization of bio process modules, and ▲ AI-based data-collecting reactor systems.

In particular, the bio sector shares similar process requirements with the semiconductor industry, such as precision control, clean environments, and reproducibility. The convergence of these two industries is drawing attention as a key driver for the creation of high value-added markets.

Kang Hyojin, CEO of Bright Korea, commented, “By expanding the equipment technology we have accumulated in the semiconductor industry into the bio sector, we will usher in a turning point for industrial structural transformation. Together with Simplplanet, we will introduce globally competitive bio automation solutions.”

Jung Il-doo, CEO of Simplplanet, added, “This agreement is not simply a technical alliance, but the merging of industrial ecosystems. We will build a vertically integrated innovation platform from bio materials to equipment, setting a representative example for Korea’s bio materials, components, and equipment industry.”

Industry insiders believe this agreement marks the starting point for a Korean-style ‘Bio Fab Automation’ ecosystem. Simplplanet will play a key role in the production of cultured food ingredients, while Bright Korea will focus on automation equipment and process design, with both companies aiming to commercialize “intelligent culture processes.”

This agreement carries significance beyond mere collaboration, signaling the formation of a new industrial belt where “bio materials, components, and equipment, food tech, and semiconductor technology” intersect.

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