Samsung Biologics has unveiled a growth strategy to accelerate its expansion in three key areas: production capacity, portfolio, and global presence. The company aims to solidify its position as a top-tier contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO).
At the 44th JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, CEO John Rim highlighted the company’s resilience amid global uncertainties. He noted significant achievements, including the completion of a corporate spin-off, the launch of their fifth plant, and the introduction of organoid services. Rim expressed confidence in continuing this growth trajectory, leveraging assets such as the Incheon Third Bio Campus and the newly acquired Rockville facility in the U.S.
Samsung Biologics has been a fixture at the conference for a decade, consistently earning a coveted spot in the main venue, the Grand Ballroom. This prestigious platform is reserved for just 25 select companies among over 500 presenters, placing Samsung Biologics alongside pharmaceutical giants such as GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly.
The company’s presence at the Grand Ballroom for ten consecutive years underscores its growing influence in the global biopharmaceutical landscape. This prime speaking slot on the second day of the event, shared with industry leaders, reflects Samsung Biologics’ rising prominence in the sector.
Rim emphasized the successful completion of the corporate spin-off as a key milestone. In May, the company announced plans to establish Samsung Epirus Holdings, separating its investment arm that oversees the biosimilar subsidiary, Samsung Bioepis. The spin-off plan received overwhelming shareholder approval in October, with a 99.9% vote in favor, and was finalized in November.
Rim said the strategic move effectively transformed Samsung Biologics into a pure-play contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). He added that the restructuring has reduced business risks and enabled the company to concentrate more fully on its core CDMO operations, strengthening its competitiveness in winning new contracts.
Following the spin-off, Samsung Biologics has ramped up its expansion strategy across three key pillars. A significant development was the December 2025 announcement of the acquisition of a biopharmaceutical production facility in Rockville, Maryland, marking the company’s first U.S. production site. This strategic expansion enables Samsung Biologics to navigate global uncertainties more effectively while establishing a multi-site manufacturing system spanning the U.S. and Korea, enhancing its ability to meet customer demands with greater flexibility and speed.
In portfolio development, the company has made substantial progress. Key achievements include securing land for a third bio campus dedicated to multi-modality production facilities, encompassing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), antibody vaccines, and cell and gene therapies (CGT). The launch of Samsung Organoids’ services and the commencement of operations at a specialized ADC production facility further diversify their offerings.
On the production capacity front, the company initiated full-scale operations at its fifth plant in April 2025, boasting a capacity of 180,000 liters. A recent addition of a 1,000-liter bioreactor to the second plant has boosted the total production capacity across all five Incheon plants to an impressive 785,000 liters.
With the integration of the 60,000-liter capacity Rockville facility, Samsung Biologics is poised to elevate its global production capacity to a substantial 845,000 liters.
Looking ahead to 2026, Rim outlined a growth strategy centered on accelerating the expansion of three core pillars: enhancing and diversifying production capacity, broadening the portfolio to encompass comprehensive contract research and development manufacturing (CRDMO) services, and strengthening global presence to boost customer satisfaction.
In terms of production capacity, the company is exploring the construction of a sixth plant within its second bio campus. Simultaneously, it aims to stabilize operations at the Rockville facility while seeking additional expansion opportunities.
Rim emphasized the implementation of ExellenS™, Samsung Biologics’ optimized production system, to ensure consistent processes and quality standards globally, thereby reinforcing customer trust. The company also plans to expand its ADC production capacity and increase small-scale reactor installations to respond nimbly to diverse customer needs.
On the portfolio front, Samsung Biologics aims to strengthen its CRDMO capabilities, offering seamless end-to-end services throughout the entire drug development journey. This integrated approach will combine CRO, CDO, and CMO functions. By leveraging its organoid services, the company plans to enhance research efficiency from early development stages, fostering early client engagement while improving execution capabilities across all processes, from active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to finished products (DPs).
The upcoming Open Innovation Center at the second bio campus in Incheon will serve as a hub for collaboration with promising biotech firms. This initiative aims to secure capabilities in next-generation modalities and actively explore additional business opportunities.
To bolster its U.S. presence, the company plans to expand its manufacturing and sales footprint, enhancing customer accessibility and satisfaction. Samsung Biologics will also actively pursue inorganic growth opportunities to drive new avenues of expansion.
The company’s global expansion strategy focuses on increasing its production and sales presence in the U.S. to improve customer accessibility and satisfaction. Additionally, Samsung Biologics is actively exploring inorganic growth opportunities to create new drivers of growth.
Samsung Biologics also unveiled plans for digital transformation (DX) aimed at revolutionizing biopharmaceutical manufacturing. By transitioning to an intelligent manufacturing environment leveraging AI and Digital Twin technologies, the company aims to maximize operational efficiency and quality through data-driven operations and decision-making, drawing on Intel Corporation’s regional insights.
In conclusion, Rim reaffirmed the company’s commitment to accelerating its three-pillar expansion strategy while strengthening core competencies to drive future growth. He emphasized that Samsung Biologics will further solidify its competitive edge through its core values of 4E (Excellence, Customer Satisfaction, Quality Competitiveness, Operational Efficiency, Employee Capability) and its execution strategy of 3S (Standardization, Simplification, Scalability).