"Zero-defect quality control is a value that cannot be overemphasized and is the foundation of our business." " Work with a high sense of responsibility while thinking about the patients who take the biopharmaceuticals we produce, the customers who choose us, and the colleagues we work with." Mr. John Rim (photo, 63), CEO of Samsung Biologics (Samsung Bio), emphasized this in his New Year CEO message. He selected "4E (Excellence)" as the value to be pursued this year. The 4E refers to excellence in customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, quality, and employee competence. Mr. John Rim has been in office for over three years, having started his tenure in December 2020. This year marks his fourth year as CEO. He gained expertise in global product development and procurement at multinational pharmaceutical companies Genentech (VP-CFO) and Roche (VP). His expertise has been transferred to Samsung Bio, which has since been 'winning'. Last year, the company landed more than 3 trillion won in orders for contract manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, a record high. As of November last year, cumulative orders amounted to 3.4867 trillion won, more than double the previous year's 1.7885 trillion won. It was the result of Mr. Rim's strong relationship with multinational pharmaceutical companies. This year also, the company plans to strengthen its partnerships with global big pharmaceutical companies by expanding contract products. In addition, as the global demand for biopharmaceuticals continues to surge, the company will invest proactively to secure production capacity in advance.

In 2020, Samsung Bio began construction of Plant 4, the world's largest single plant (240,000 liters), which was fully operational in June 2023. Samsung Bio’s total production capacity is the world top 604,000 liters. To proactively respond to market demand, Plant 5, with a capacity of 180,000 liters, began construction in April 2023 and is scheduled for completion in April 2025. Upon completion of Plant 5, Samsung Bio's total production capacity will be 784,000 liters. "Through process innovation, we have shortened the technology transfer period, which is essential for biopharmaceutical production, to three months, half the industry average," said a representative from Samsung Bio, adding, "Even when there are urgent requests on a tight schedule, we respond quickly and meet the production schedule to ensure customer satisfaction.“

After a successful period, Mr. Rim suddenly has a problem this year, the year of the blue dragon. A labor dispute over the list of union members is deepening. This has led to a delay in the collective bargaining process, and the role of Mr. Rim has come under scrutiny. The union says it submitted the list of its members with personal information redacted in accordance with legal procedures, but the company says it cannot negotiate without objective proof. The company insists that the list of members claimed by the union is just a list of website subscribers and needs to be objectively validated. The company claims that the number of members includes duplicates and retirees. In response, the union said it had already confirmed the number of members in a verifiable way and even announced a legal response after proposing that the company should accuse the union to the prosecutor of violating the Personal Information Protection Act if it believes the union had stolen personal information. The Samsung Bio union was founded in May 2023. The union claims that the unionization rate will soon exceed 50%. The role of CEO as the decision maker is crucial in such extreme confrontations between labor and management. How Mr. John Rim handles this labor dispute will test his leadership.

[WIKI KOREA=Cho Pil Hyun, Staff Reporter]

chop23@wikileaks-kr.org

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