Press Releases
Driven. For Digitalization.
Even before the onset of COVID, Samsung Biologics embraced digital transformation as part of its unique strategy to provide next-level client satisfaction. As the team leader of IT-EDM, also known as ERP, Data & Infrastructure, and Manufacturing Support Systems, Seongil Cho and his team implement and support enterprise IT systems, including those related to virtual inspections.
Samsung Biologics conducts many client and regulatory authority inspections per year; however, on-site inspections and tours became difficult to conduct during the pandemic.
To solve this challenge, Seongil and his team implemented the Live Virtual Tour (LVT) solution to allow for global clients to access our facilities via a live-streaming platform and take a scheduled tour, audit, or inspection at their convenience. The platform also leverages a global on-demand cloud infrastructure to optimize speed and connectivity from any location.
In this interview, Seongil shares with us how the IT team has successfully utilized LVT, insights on future IT trends, and what “Driven. For Life.” means to him.
Can you please briefly explain what Live Virtual Tour is and some of its unique features, and why we developed it?
Live Virtual Tour is similar to other virtual conferencing systems, but it has a higher quality and resolution to give clients the feeling as if they are ‘teleporting’ to our site. Because of the travel restrictions amid the pandemic, our clients and regulatory bodies like the FDA and EMA couldn’t visit our site to do regular audits and inspections. So we decided to develop and implement a digital platform, such as Live Virtual Tour, to support the auditing process. A real-time video conferencing system is a necessary part of remote auditing in the pandemic, but many of the popular web conferencing applications did not provide good enough quality. That’s why we eventually made our own live virtual system.
Since its launch last year, what are some of the successful ways we’ve utilized the platform?
Live Virtual Tour has since been successfully utilized in over 50 virtual audits and inspections. Our most successful story was participating in one of the FDA’s earliest virtual inspections. Most recently, we also performed a virtual inspection with the EMA and received six Pre-Approval Inspections (PAI) over the course of seven days with no critical observations. We are finding better ways to improve the quality and technology of this proactive solution and will continue to improve it and provide customized access to our potential and existing clients as well as regulatory authorities.
How will Samsung Biologics leverage Live Virtual Tour after the pandemic ends?
Regardless of the pandemic, LVT is being used as a complete remote tool in solving equipment problems, which is also a great way to ensure hygienic site protection from a cost and quality perspective. I believe the global trend of remote auditing will continue and we will move forward with more innovative developments in LVT using a customer-centric view.
Other than Live Virtual Tour, what other digital enhancements or technologies have you utilized?
We are actively preparing and using cloud technology for global expansion. For global companies, this is not an option any more. The cloud’s flexibility, scalability, agility, and cost are all at the heart of digital transformation, which we are continuously innovating to be a leading CDMO provider in the biopharma industry.
Can you give us any insights into what IT trends biopharmaceutical companies are talking about now?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already at the forefront of our lives, it’s not just in the domain of engineers anymore. AI will be a key driver in determining the competitiveness of the industry. We need to pay attention to newer trends and needs of the BIO industry based on AI as well as collecting and analyzing data by looking at other industry examples. Now more than ever, we have a mindset that always starts with data as well as preparation, execution, and creation with data.
What makes Samsung Biologics’ culture unique?
In our ten years of history, we have overcome any challenge by constantly finding new approaches to create solutions. What makes our culture special is that we have an experienced and skilled workforce who are all really passionate about what we do. For this reason, we are instinctively creating everything at a faster pace and moving forward with confidence and hope. I would say that Samsung Biologics is a very rare and special company that makes these leaps, cultivates, and builds passion within such a short period of time.
When you hear the phrase "Driven. For Life.", what comes to mind?
The goal and reason for the existence of most companies would be to pursue profitability. While it’s still important, Samsung Biologics’ ultimate mission is to build a healthier future for all. In terms of industry, we are creating the future through the work we do in bringing high-quality biomedicines to our clients and patients around the globe. This in turn gives hope and life to humanity.
Related Contents
Samsung BIO Insight Samsung Biologics embraces digitalization to provide next-level client satisfaction
Webinars Innov-daptation: Shifting Challenges to Opportunity in BioManufacturing
Whitepapers Embracing Necessary Digital Transformation in Biomanufacturing
Even before the onset of COVID, Samsung Biologics embraced digital transformation as part of its unique strategy to provide next-level client satisfaction. As the team leader of IT-EDM, also known as ERP, Data & Infrastructure, and Manufacturing Support Systems, Seongil Cho and his team implement and support enterprise IT systems, including those related to virtual inspections.
Samsung Biologics conducts many client and regulatory authority inspections per year; however, on-site inspections and tours became difficult to conduct during the pandemic.
To solve this challenge, Seongil and his team implemented the Live Virtual Tour (LVT) solution to allow for global clients to access our facilities via a live-streaming platform and take a scheduled tour, audit, or inspection at their convenience. The platform also leverages a global on-demand cloud infrastructure to optimize speed and connectivity from any location.
In this interview, Seongil shares with us how the IT team has successfully utilized LVT, insights on future IT trends, and what “Driven. For Life.” means to him.
Can you please briefly explain what Live Virtual Tour is and some of its unique features, and why we developed it?
Live Virtual Tour is similar to other virtual conferencing systems, but it has a higher quality and resolution to give clients the feeling as if they are ‘teleporting’ to our site. Because of the travel restrictions amid the pandemic, our clients and regulatory bodies like the FDA and EMA couldn’t visit our site to do regular audits and inspections. So we decided to develop and implement a digital platform, such as Live Virtual Tour, to support the auditing process. A real-time video conferencing system is a necessary part of remote auditing in the pandemic, but many of the popular web conferencing applications did not provide good enough quality. That’s why we eventually made our own live virtual system.
Since its launch last year, what are some of the successful ways we’ve utilized the platform?
Live Virtual Tour has since been successfully utilized in over 50 virtual audits and inspections. Our most successful story was participating in one of the FDA’s earliest virtual inspections. Most recently, we also performed a virtual inspection with the EMA and received six Pre-Approval Inspections (PAI) over the course of seven days with no critical observations. We are finding better ways to improve the quality and technology of this proactive solution and will continue to improve it and provide customized access to our potential and existing clients as well as regulatory authorities.
How will Samsung Biologics leverage Live Virtual Tour after the pandemic ends?
Regardless of the pandemic, LVT is being used as a complete remote tool in solving equipment problems, which is also a great way to ensure hygienic site protection from a cost and quality perspective. I believe the global trend of remote auditing will continue and we will move forward with more innovative developments in LVT using a customer-centric view.
Other than Live Virtual Tour, what other digital enhancements or technologies have you utilized?
We are actively preparing and using cloud technology for global expansion. For global companies, this is not an option any more. The cloud’s flexibility, scalability, agility, and cost are all at the heart of digital transformation, which we are continuously innovating to be a leading CDMO provider in the biopharma industry.
Can you give us any insights into what IT trends biopharmaceutical companies are talking about now?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already at the forefront of our lives, it’s not just in the domain of engineers anymore. AI will be a key driver in determining the competitiveness of the industry. We need to pay attention to newer trends and needs of the BIO industry based on AI as well as collecting and analyzing data by looking at other industry examples. Now more than ever, we have a mindset that always starts with data as well as preparation, execution, and creation with data.
What makes Samsung Biologics’ culture unique?
In our ten years of history, we have overcome any challenge by constantly finding new approaches to create solutions. What makes our culture special is that we have an experienced and skilled workforce who are all really passionate about what we do. For this reason, we are instinctively creating everything at a faster pace and moving forward with confidence and hope. I would say that Samsung Biologics is a very rare and special company that makes these leaps, cultivates, and builds passion within such a short period of time.
When you hear the phrase "Driven. For Life.", what comes to mind?
The goal and reason for the existence of most companies would be to pursue profitability. While it’s still important, Samsung Biologics’ ultimate mission is to build a healthier future for all. In terms of industry, we are creating the future through the work we do in bringing high-quality biomedicines to our clients and patients around the globe. This in turn gives hope and life to humanity.
Related Contents
Samsung BIO Insight Samsung Biologics embraces digitalization to provide next-level client satisfaction
Webinars Innov-daptation: Shifting Challenges to Opportunity in BioManufacturing
Whitepapers Embracing Necessary Digital Transformation in Biomanufacturing