Sartorius to invest €270m to expand South Korea operations

Sartorius, a German pharma and lab equipment supplier, said that it is investing nearly €270 million through 2024 for expanding its operations in South Korea.

The life science company is planning to launch cell culture media production in South Korean biopharma hub Songdo in Incheon. It will use the Songdo hub for assembling sterile systems for manufacturing biopharmaceuticals apart from other operations.

Joachim Kreuzburg — Sartorius Executive Board Chairman and CEO said: “The development of the biopharmaceutical industry in Asia and, in particular, South Korea, has entered a new phase characterized by a high innovation and investment pace on the part of our customers.

“With our significant investments in Songdo, we will be increasing capacities, moving production operations closer to our customers in the region and substantially accelerating our delivery speed.”

Sartorius CEO Joachim Kreuzburg (r) with South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook. Photo courtesy of Sartorius AG.

According to Sartorius, it will undertake the construction of facilities on a site that covers nearly 255,000 square meters. The complex will comprise an application center, which will include labs as well as a variety of structures for manufacturing and logistics.

The total number of jobs to be created for this project will be nearly 750, said the German pharma and lab equipment supplier.

Additionally, Sartorius’ existing activities for service, along with sales and marketing will be relocated to the new location under development, which will provide space to expand further. The construction work is scheduled to begin in 2021 and production activities are expected to commence at the end of 2024.