LOTTE BIOLOGICS Holds Topping-Out Ceremony for Plant 1 at Songdo Bio Campus

■ Structural frame completed in just 18 months, with commercial manufacturing targeted for 2027

■ Aims to bolster biologics manufacturing capacity and lead the global CDMO market

LOTTE BIOLOGICS (CEO James Park) announced on September 10 that it has held a topping-out ceremony for Plant 1 of its Songdo Bio Campus, currently under construction in the advanced industrial cluster of Songdo International City, Incheon.

The ceremony was attended by key executives and employees from LOTTE Group, including James Park, CEO of LOTTE BIOLOGICS; Yooyeol Shin, Chief Strategy Officer of LOTTE BIOLOGICS and Head of LOTTE Corporation’s Future Growth Division; Hyun-chul Park, Vice Chairman and CEO of Lotte E&C; and Jin Kim, Head of the CM Business Division at Lotte E&C.

The topping-out ceremony is a traditional milestone in architecture that marks the placement of the main ridge beam—the highest structural component of a building’s roof. A celebratory message containing the date of the topping-out and well wishes, is inscribed on the beam to commemorate the building's creation and wish for continued safety and prosperity.

According to the company, the event holds deep significance as it marks a critical milestone toward completion, with the structural frame finished in just 18 months since the original breaking of ground in March 2024. LOTTE BIOLOGICS had previously announced the establishment of the Songdo Bio Campus by signing a land purchase agreement with the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Authority in October 2023.

The ceremony commenced with a commemorative address by CEO James Park, followed by a construction progress report, congratulatory remarks, and the raising of the ridge beam. The ceremonial inscription included LOTTE Group's mission—“We enrich people’s lives by providing superior products and services that our customers love and trust”—along with the signatures of the key executives in attendance.

LOTTE BIOLOGICS plans to construct three production facilities at the Songdo Bio Campus, each with a manufacturing capacity of 120,000 liters. Plant 1, an antibody therapeutic manufacturing facility, is scheduled for completion in 2026, with a target for commercial manufacturing to begin in the first half of 2027. Upon its completion, LOTTE BIOLOGICS' total production capacity will reach 160,000 liters, inclusive of the 40,000-liter capacity of its Syracuse Bio Campus in the United States.

LOTTE BIOLOGICS has presented a blueprint to foster the Songdo Bio Campus as a 'Hub for Biologics Manufacturing.' Plant 1 is being built as a Smart Factory incorporating cutting-edge technology to maximize production efficiency and enhance its quality management systems. The facility will also feature a high degree of process flexibility to comprehensively meet the diverse demands of potential global clients. Through these efforts, the company is focused on its growth as a top-tier global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) equipped with the highest levels of efficiency and flexibility.

In his commemorative address, CEO James Park stated, "The topping-out ceremony for Plant 1 is not just a crucial stepping stone for LOTTE BIOLOGICS' growth; it is a meaningful moment that opens a new chapter for Korea's bio-industry. Through continued investment and technological development, we are committed to leading the global CDMO market and growing into a company that contributes to the advancement of human health."

Yooyeol Shin, Chief Strategy Officer of LOTTE BIOLOGICS and Head of LOTTE Corporation’s Future Growth Division, who also attended the event, remarked, "We have reached this significant day thanks to the unwavering dedication of employees from our construction and biotech affiliates, who have worked tirelessly in their respective roles since we first broke ground on this site. LOTTE BIOLOGICS will grow to become not only a new growth engine for our group but also a company that represents LOTTE’s future."

​Meanwhile, LOTTE BIOLOGICS is poised to maximize synergies through its dual-site operations in Syracuse, New York, and Songdo, Incheon. While the Syracuse Bio Campus will serve as a 'One-Stop CDMO Hub for Everything from Antibodies to ADCs,' the Songdo Bio Campus will function as a complementary 'Large-scale Manufacturing Base.'

Now in its fourth year, LOTTE BIOLOGICS is demonstrating its growing presence in the global market, having secured three manufacturing contracts this year alone. On September 2, the company announced a contract manufacturing agreement with a U.S.-based biotech firm. This followed a contract signed in June with British biotech company OTTIMO Pharma at the BIO International 2025 convention in Boston. Additionally, in April, the company disclosed an order related to Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) from an Asia-based biotech partner.

This past March, LOTTE BIOLOGICS completed the construction of an ADC production facility at its Syracuse Bio Campus. Through an investment of approximately $100 million, the site now features an integrated production and purification line, including up to a 1,000-liter (L) conjugation reactor, and provides in-house Quality Control (QC) testing as well as characterization analysis services. The facility is also equipped with single-use systems, from antibody preprocessing to automated aseptic filling of raw materials, enabling it to respond flexibly to diverse client needs.