SK Plasma said on the 10th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Danantara Indonesia (Danantara), one of Indonesia's sovereign wealth funds, for investment in a blood products manufacturing facility. It is the second collaboration following the investment contract it signed with the Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) last year, the first by Korean corporations.
Through this MOU, the two sides plan to discuss the direction and procedures for investing in SK Plasma Core, SK Plasma's joint venture in Indonesia. SK Plasma Core is a joint venture established to build a blood products manufacturing facility in Indonesia, with SK Plasma as the largest shareholder and the Indonesia Investment Authority as the second-largest shareholder.
Danantara is a sovereign wealth funds established earlier this year as the second fund set up by the Indonesian government after the investment authority, and it plans to invest in plasma and healthcare infrastructure after designating minerals, renewable energy and healthcare as eight core investment sectors. Through this MOU, Danantara aims to reduce reliance on imports of plasma-derived medicines and secure self-sufficiency in essential medicines.
Pandu Jahri, Danantara's chief investment officer, said, "Reducing dependence on imports for essential medical services to build a stable national health system is a core investment strategy," and added, "This agreement will be an important opportunity to build world-class medical infrastructure by combining SK Plasma's technology with investment at the national level."
SK Plasma also plans to successfully push forward the Indonesia blood products project in cooperation with sovereign wealth funds such as Danantara and existing shareholders including INA.
The new plant is being built by SK Plasma Core, which secured the blood products business license from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, on a site of about 49,000 square meters within the Karawang Industrial Park, with the goal of starting operations in the fourth quarter next year. It plans to fractionate 600,000 liters (L) of plasma annually to produce blood products such as albumin and immunoglobulins.
Kim Seung-ju, CEO of SK Plasma, said, "The production facility being built in Karawang is more than a simple plant; it is a project directly linked to the health of the Indonesian people and sovereignty over essential medicines," and added, "We will work with sovereign wealth funds and government agencies to build facilities without a hitch that can stably produce high-quality blood products."