In the life sciences industry, the term ‘trusted partner’ can be overused in phrasing, but under-demonstrated in action.
Samsung Biologics is breaking that mold. Since its founding, the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) has received an array of client testimonials, demonstrating its responsiveness to client needs and flexibility in delivering on diverse project requirements.
Over the years, Samsung Biologics has made available the needed capacity at speed and kept pace with advanced digitalization by proactively investing in technological capabilities. These investments have ensured that the CDMO continues to live up to its proven track record of success. Samsung Biologics has launched projects seamlessly and delivered end-to-end expertise for complex modalities, ensuring that every relationship has added to its growing reputation as a trustworthy partner.
Growing Together Through Time
Samsung Biologics’ project portfolio to date spans 140+ clients. Ensuring satisfaction over this diverse client base requires expertise in many modalities and processes. To this day, the highest level of agility and quick-footedness needed for accommodating the breadth of this portfolio has been the standard to which the CDMO aspires.
When Taejin Kim, director of project management (PM), joined the company a decade ago, the PM team members could be counted on one hand. Back then, “the smaller number of projects meant that day-to-day management was possible, whereas a more macroscopic view is needed now,” he says.
Haylie Kim, associate director of PM, who also joined at that time, says, “I used to feel uneasy when interacting with project managers at client companies who were more experienced, but through the countless learning opportunities over the years, we have grown to the position of giving advice.”
Jinhong Park, associate director of PM, says, “Ultimately it is about the purpose and meaning found in improving patient lives—shared with us through direct testimonials about how our medicines help prolong the years they can spend with their loved ones—that transcend the details of the day-to-day.”
Shared Paths, Enduring Partnership
Clients expect timely delivery and competitive pricing, but “the key factor that goes into clients’ decisions to work with us is how much our sincerity comes through,” says Taejin.
Brian Heo, director of PM, says, “A client once told me, ‘Whenever I am faced with a difficult and complex project with aggressive timelines, I always think of Samung Biologics.’ They know we can meet their requirements.”
Transparent communication drives each partnership. “Once our team members as well as each involved department commit to customer excellence, the momentum keeps going,” says Jungmin Byun, associate director of PM. It is about matching the right information to the right moment in each client relationship. Through EQUIS and other tools at Samsung Biologics, including manual trackers, the team ensures that they are familiar with the clients’ needs during the onboarding process. “There is an art to finding the middle ground between learning about the client’s way of working and communicating our own.”
Combined with transparent communication is the flexibility to accommodate client timelines and change requests in an ever-shifting regulatory landscape. For example, when a client needed help with a regulatory procedure, the PM team set up meetings outside of their normal working hours to help the client troubleshoot. There is no cutting corners; rather, the team co-develops strategies with clients to find the best path forward.
Reaching investigational new drug (IND) filing is a big milestone for clients that require development services. “After accommodating a client’s timeline that required swift turnaround over the weekend for FDA approval to begin clinical trials, the client expressed their appreciation for our close support”, says Taehyeong Kim, director of PM.
“We will be here as a trusted partner 5, 10, 15 years down the line,” says Taejin. “Driven by our strong track record, we will continue to walk alongside clients to bring their medicines to life.”
Strength in Continuity
“Our clients in the antibody space trust us implicitly,” says Brian. When evaluating CDMO candidates, a client considers their ability to work with multiple modalities, hardware or software capabilities, and overall expertise. “Clients trust Samsung Biologics to build capacity on time, handle tech transfers quickly, manufacture stable products, and maintain a strong regulatory track record.”
Once a client has chosen to work with a CDMO, the most critical factor in a continuing relationship is the actual experience of working with that partner. It is about delivering on promises. Jinhong says, “After the initial agreement, it’s our performance—how responsibly and effectively we meet the evolving needs of each project—that determines whether a client chooses to extend to a new project and build a strategic partnership with us.”
One client had an issue with the quality control equipment for its batch release. The PM team coordinated with all the relevant departments to work over the weekend and in the evenings to address the issue.
Another client had a project that encountered unexpected issues, which caused delays in the program timeline, especially during process performance qualification. After jointly overcoming these issues and proceeding to the next phase, the client expressed heartfelt gratitude to all the teams involved, including PM, MSAT, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain Management, for facilitating multiple process changes to help resolve the issues. “It felt very rewarding to be praised openly by the client after such an extended journey together,” Haylie says. “We now bring more to the table than we did a decade ago, with a solid track record under our belt.”
Culture of Excellence
Brian compares the role of the PM function to that of a parent. His team members sometimes ask him whether a certain task falls within the PM scope. “I tell them that it does now and encourage them to keep building on their skill sets to work with a sense of authority over each project,” he says.
A key priority for Jinhong is encouraging his team members to take ownership and accept responsibility regardless of their seniority. “We are fostering a culture within the Samsung Biologics PM team where each junior member learns to make small decisions on his or her own, stepping into healthy independence,” he says.
Jungmin takes pride in the intimate, horizontal culture within the PM team, where issues can be freely shared and resolved together. “This culture extends out into the same care that we show each client, whether they be large biopharma or small biotechs,” she says.
Taehyeong and his team know that successful navigation through the intricacies of GMP manufacturing is based on the deep understanding of its complexities. “We approach each client project as if it is our own, from the gene sequence all the way to IND filing,” he says. Samsung Biologics tailors its project management expertise to each client’s unique development stage and needs—supporting seamless partnerships from early-phase projects through commercial-scale manufacturing.
Utmost Flexibility for Progress
The CDMO’s undeniable track record prompts the industry to continuously expect a standard of biomanufacturing excellence. The PM team, which presents as the face of the client to internal departments, is determined to help each stakeholder navigate the waters of partnership with continued sincerity.
Each partnership adds to Samsung Biologics’ expertise. Samsung Biologics prioritizes client satisfaction by providing the utmost flexibility and delivering uncompromising quality, ensuring that each client flourishes.
In the life sciences industry, the term ‘trusted partner’ can be overused in phrasing, but under-demonstrated in action.
Samsung Biologics is breaking that mold. Since its founding, the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) has received an array of client testimonials, demonstrating its responsiveness to client needs and flexibility in delivering on diverse project requirements.
Over the years, Samsung Biologics has made available the needed capacity at speed and kept pace with advanced digitalization by proactively investing in technological capabilities. These investments have ensured that the CDMO continues to live up to its proven track record of success. Samsung Biologics has launched projects seamlessly and delivered end-to-end expertise for complex modalities, ensuring that every relationship has added to its growing reputation as a trustworthy partner.
Growing Together Through Time
Samsung Biologics’ project portfolio to date spans 140+ clients. Ensuring satisfaction over this diverse client base requires expertise in many modalities and processes. To this day, the highest level of agility and quick-footedness needed for accommodating the breadth of this portfolio has been the standard to which the CDMO aspires.
When Taejin Kim, director of project management (PM), joined the company a decade ago, the PM team members could be counted on one hand. Back then, “the smaller number of projects meant that day-to-day management was possible, whereas a more macroscopic view is needed now,” he says.
Haylie Kim, associate director of PM, who also joined at that time, says, “I used to feel uneasy when interacting with project managers at client companies who were more experienced, but through the countless learning opportunities over the years, we have grown to the position of giving advice.”
Jinhong Park, associate director of PM, says, “Ultimately it is about the purpose and meaning found in improving patient lives—shared with us through direct testimonials about how our medicines help prolong the years they can spend with their loved ones—that transcend the details of the day-to-day.”
Shared Paths, Enduring Partnership
Clients expect timely delivery and competitive pricing, but “the key factor that goes into clients’ decisions to work with us is how much our sincerity comes through,” says Taejin.
Brian Heo, director of PM, says, “A client once told me, ‘Whenever I am faced with a difficult and complex project with aggressive timelines, I always think of Samung Biologics.’ They know we can meet their requirements.”
Transparent communication drives each partnership. “Once our team members as well as each involved department commit to customer excellence, the momentum keeps going,” says Jungmin Byun, associate director of PM. It is about matching the right information to the right moment in each client relationship. Through EQUIS and other tools at Samsung Biologics, including manual trackers, the team ensures that they are familiar with the clients’ needs during the onboarding process. “There is an art to finding the middle ground between learning about the client’s way of working and communicating our own.”
Combined with transparent communication is the flexibility to accommodate client timelines and change requests in an ever-shifting regulatory landscape. For example, when a client needed help with a regulatory procedure, the PM team set up meetings outside of their normal working hours to help the client troubleshoot. There is no cutting corners; rather, the team co-develops strategies with clients to find the best path forward.
Reaching investigational new drug (IND) filing is a big milestone for clients that require development services. “After accommodating a client’s timeline that required swift turnaround over the weekend for FDA approval to begin clinical trials, the client expressed their appreciation for our close support”, says Taehyeong Kim, director of PM.
“We will be here as a trusted partner 5, 10, 15 years down the line,” says Taejin. “Driven by our strong track record, we will continue to walk alongside clients to bring their medicines to life.”
Strength in Continuity
“Our clients in the antibody space trust us implicitly,” says Brian. When evaluating CDMO candidates, a client considers their ability to work with multiple modalities, hardware or software capabilities, and overall expertise. “Clients trust Samsung Biologics to build capacity on time, handle tech transfers quickly, manufacture stable products, and maintain a strong regulatory track record.”
Once a client has chosen to work with a CDMO, the most critical factor in a continuing relationship is the actual experience of working with that partner. It is about delivering on promises. Jinhong says, “After the initial agreement, it’s our performance—how responsibly and effectively we meet the evolving needs of each project—that determines whether a client chooses to extend to a new project and build a strategic partnership with us.”
One client had an issue with the quality control equipment for its batch release. The PM team coordinated with all the relevant departments to work over the weekend and in the evenings to address the issue.
Another client had a project that encountered unexpected issues, which caused delays in the program timeline, especially during process performance qualification. After jointly overcoming these issues and proceeding to the next phase, the client expressed heartfelt gratitude to all the teams involved, including PM, MSAT, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain Management, for facilitating multiple process changes to help resolve the issues. “It felt very rewarding to be praised openly by the client after such an extended journey together,” Haylie says. “We now bring more to the table than we did a decade ago, with a solid track record under our belt.”
Culture of Excellence
Brian compares the role of the PM function to that of a parent. His team members sometimes ask him whether a certain task falls within the PM scope. “I tell them that it does now and encourage them to keep building on their skill sets to work with a sense of authority over each project,” he says.
A key priority for Jinhong is encouraging his team members to take ownership and accept responsibility regardless of their seniority. “We are fostering a culture within the Samsung Biologics PM team where each junior member learns to make small decisions on his or her own, stepping into healthy independence,” he says.
Jungmin takes pride in the intimate, horizontal culture within the PM team, where issues can be freely shared and resolved together. “This culture extends out into the same care that we show each client, whether they be large biopharma or small biotechs,” she says.
Taehyeong and his team know that successful navigation through the intricacies of GMP manufacturing is based on the deep understanding of its complexities. “We approach each client project as if it is our own, from the gene sequence all the way to IND filing,” he says. Samsung Biologics tailors its project management expertise to each client’s unique development stage and needs—supporting seamless partnerships from early-phase projects through commercial-scale manufacturing.
Utmost Flexibility for Progress
The CDMO’s undeniable track record prompts the industry to continuously expect a standard of biomanufacturing excellence. The PM team, which presents as the face of the client to internal departments, is determined to help each stakeholder navigate the waters of partnership with continued sincerity.
Each partnership adds to Samsung Biologics’ expertise. Samsung Biologics prioritizes client satisfaction by providing the utmost flexibility and delivering uncompromising quality, ensuring that each client flourishes.
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