April 26, 2024

• 

[THE INVESTOR] SK Plasma said on Oct. 30 it has started operations at its new Andong plant, raising the company’s production capacity of plasma derivatives by nearly 500 percent.

The 31,586-square-meter plant was built at a cost of 150 billion won (US$131.63 million) and is located in a bio cluster region in Andong, 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul.  

The plant features a central automation system to facilitate process supervisory control and data acquisition. Work at the plant is streamlined by having the entire production process -- including storage, fractionation, purification and packaging -- conducted in-house at the facility.

SK Plasma said it has prepared to take its products overseas by meeting the manufacturing requirements for medical products in Europe. It obtained Good Manufacturing Practice in August from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

With the Andong plant, the company said it raised its annual production capacity of plasma derivatives to 600,000 liters, an increase of close to 500 percent. Six kinds of products, including albumin and immunoglobulin, will be made at the plant, the firm said.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)