Company sheds red for mint in sweeping global rebrand
Incheon Songdo factory completed and approved for use earlier this month
AI embedded from design stage, cutting cell line selection time dramatically
The Lotte Biologics booth at the 2026 BIO International Convention (BIO USA), held at the San Diego Convention Center, turned heads among global visitors — swapping the company's signature bold red for a vibrant mint, or Lincoln green, as part of a sweeping rebrand.
Jeon Ji-won, executive vice president and head of strategic planning at Lotte Biologics, said Tuesday (local time) that while red is part of Lotte's heritage, the company chose mint to capture the innovation and vitality of biotech as a late entrant pushing forward. "Our vision is to act as a prism — transmitting our clients' light so their success can bloom," she said, adding that the concept is reflected throughout the booth's design.
The booth's central messages are the full activation of a dual-site operation linking Syracuse in the United States and Songdo in South Korea, and AI-driven digitalization.
Lotte Biologics disclosed for the first time that it completed construction of its advanced biopharmaceutical production facility in Incheon's Songdo International City earlier this month and received official approval for use. The milestone completes a dual-site operating structure in which a 5,000-liter mid-scale production line in Syracuse and a 15,000-liter large-scale line in Songdo are organically linked.
"The key to winning contracts in this industry is economies of scale — extracting the maximum yield from each bioreactor cycle to bring down production costs," Jeon said, adding that inquiries from global big pharma companies have been pouring in now that the dual-site setup covers the full product life cycle from Syracuse to Songdo.
The most heavily emphasized element at the booth was the AI and digital systems embedded from the earliest stages of factory design. A large media installation at the center of the booth — bearing the message "Manufacturing Excellence, Powered by AI" — drew a steady stream of visitors.
While other contract development and manufacturing organization companies struggle to retrofit AI into already-built facilities, Lotte Biologics integrated AI deeply from the design phase. Cell line development is a prime example: selecting a high-performing cell line once required at least six months of manually culturing cells in flasks. Lotte's AI prediction model, built on accumulated data, has cut the selection period to around two to three months.
Also on display through wall graphics at the booth was a quantified computational fluid dynamics modeling system designed to ensure that cell culture and purification processes tested in 5-liter lab-scale vessels can be reproduced identically in 15,000-liter industrial bioreactors.
Producing a single batch typically takes 45 to 50 days. To minimize human error from manual handling, Lotte Biologics has automated the entire process and built a real-time monitoring system. Where defects could previously only be detected after a culture run was complete, the company now shares daily real-time data and charts with client partners — building strong confidence in predictable production.
Lotte Biologics has begun GMP operations and validation procedures at the Songdo factory ahead of full commercial production, with most preparatory work expected to wrap up by the end of this year.
Jeon said veteran quality specialists from the Syracuse facility — which has produced Bristol Myers Squibb blockbuster drugs for decades — are rotating to Songdo in large numbers to establish the same world-class quality systems there. "On Nov. 18, we will hold a grand official completion ceremony at the Songdo site, inviting leaders from home and abroad to fully unveil the advanced factory in all its sophistication," she said.
silverpaper@heraldcorp.com
