A milestone showcasing the strength of Korean manufacturing—The development of the K-syringe and that intense one week
In December of last year, when the government was struggling to secure COVID-19 vaccines, then-Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun received a call from a senior Samsung executive. They were trying to contact a small syringe manufacturer, but it was difficult using only Samsung’s influence—so they asked the government for help. Samsung had learned that Pfizer, the world’s largest vaccine producer, was looking for syringes. They believed that if Korea could produce the type of syringe Pfizer wanted, it could create leverage in securing vaccine supplies.
What Pfizer wanted was a so-called low dead space (LDS) syringe—one that minimizes the amount of vaccine left behind in the syringe after injection. Normally, a small amount of fluid remains in the syringe due to micro gaps, even after a full injection. This leftover is called the “dead space.” By reducing this space, for example, five doses can become six. It’s an effective 20% increase in supply.
Each Pfizer vaccine vial contains 450 μL (microliters, 1 μL = 1/1,000,000 L) of vaccine. This is thawed and mixed with 1800 μL of saline, resulting in a total volume of 2250 μL. Since the dose per person is 300 μL, it’s theoretically enough for 7 doses. However, because standard syringes leave about 80 μL of dead space, you need to draw about 400 μL per injection, which means only five doses per vial. Pfizer’s requirement was to reduce the residual volume to 25 μL, and Korea could do that. The problem was that no small company had the scale or capability to produce the required volume of such syringes in a short time.
That’s what Samsung asked Minister Park to help with. “We can help, but if Samsung approaches, small businesses get wary. The government needs to take care of that part.” Minister Park agreed without hesitation. The small company in question was Poonglim Pharmatech, based in Gunsan.
On December 22, Minister Park called Poonglim’s CEO, Cho Hee-min. His answer: “No, I won’t do it.”He had three reasons. First, I don’t do risky business. Second, Those syringes are 10 times more expensive than normal ones. They might sell well now, but it’s not sustainable. Third, There’s a risk of technology leakage. Minister Park responded that this was a matter of national interest and asked him to reconsider, then hung up. The next day, she called again. This time, CEO Cho was a bit more open, and he set three conditions. First, The government must guarantee to purchase a certain amount. Second, He would need financial support for facility investment to set up a smart factory. Third, Measures must be taken to prevent technology leakage. After many twists and turns, Minister Park resolved all these issues. Now, the ball was in the court of Samsung and Poonglim Pharmatech. Within a week, they produced a prototype. A miracle that proved the strength of Korean manufacturing had begun.
December 24, 2020 — D-6
1:30 p.m. at Poonglim Pharmatech in Gunsan: CEO Cho, his daughter and Vice President Cho Mi-hee, SME Ministry Director Cha Jung-hoon and three others, Kim Yoo-mi from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (responsible for overseas export approvals), and Kim Jong ho, a senior Samsung advisor with nearly 40 years of experience in production and manufacturing, gathered. There, they drafted the blueprint for a miracle project. Key decisions included: Molds for the syringes must be created as quickly as possible. The syringe has six parts, and mold production for each would be distributed to small manufacturers in Gumi and Gwangju. After mold and injection are completed, they would regroup in Gunsan on December 30 for assembly. Poonglim would send resin for injection to the Gumi and Gwangju factories. Initial prototype quantity: 500 units. Mass production would take place at Poonglim’s existing factory, with Samsung supporting the smart factory transformation. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety would expedite FDA approval. The SME Ministry would resolve any regulatory issues during manufacturing. Two days earlier, on December 22, the 31 project members had been finalized and a group chat was opened for real-time communication. Kim Jong ho contacted Oh Eung-taek, CEO of Yoonil Precision, a Samsung partner. He hinted at the upcoming syringe project: “This is a chance to showcase Korea’s mold technology to the world. Let’s take the challenge.”
Oh responded without hesitation. Yoonil Precision, a small mold company with 72 employees, lives by the motto: “We find solutions, not excuses.”. Of the six syringe parts, Yoonil was responsible for five (excluding the outer barrel). Kim Jong ho had a reason for confidence. Christmas Eve. At Gunsan, it was snowing.
December 25, 2020 — D-5
To make a mold, you need a drawing. Only when you have an accurate syringe drawing can you make the mold based on it. If you make the mold and then have to make changes, you lose about 30 days. There was no accurate syringe design drawing. Poonglim’s research center director Yoon Jong-deok began 3D modeling work. The result of this had to be delivered to Samsung and Yoonil. He worked all throughout the Christmas holiday and completed the work only at midnight. But it wasn’t the best. They couldn’t settle for this. Pfizer’s requirement was 25μL residual volume, but to achieve that, the target had to be set even lower.
The most important part was the plunger—the black rubber part that pushes the injection liquid all the way through. Normally, this is rounded, but if it adheres completely to the bottom of the needle, then in theory only the medicine inside the needle would remain. Kim, the center head, pushed for zero residual volume as the goal. The challenge was to leave only the medicine in the needle and empty all the rest—a virtually impossible task.
December 26, 2020 — D-4
The last weekend of 2020. Today, the design had to be finalized and mold processing had to begin based on that. Poonglim presented the basic concept. A so-called “three-stage cone structure” method. It was the idea to reduce empty space by shaping the plunger part like an ice cream cone. Poonglim ran a simulation. The residual amount that would remain in micro gaps: 4.91μL. The amount that unavoidably remained in the needle: 3.46μL. Combined total: 8.37μL. Now, the issue of pressure remained. The lower the pressure, the more smoothly the injection liquid could be delivered, and the more the residual volume could be minimized. CEO Oh of Yoonil Precision, located in Gumi, received the design and began mold work. The time given to him: exactly three days. The outer barrel would be handled at Samsung’s Gwangju mold factory, so the remaining five parts were his responsibility. That day, Poonglim completed the shipment of resin to be used for the prototype. It arrived late in the evening at the Gwangju and Gumi factories.
December 27, 2020 — D-3
The group chat with the 31 project members. Center Director Kim Jong ho, the chat admin, set a slogan for the group: “Let’s make a syringe that doesn’t exist in the world.” The general framework for syringe production had been decided. In Gumi and Gwangju, molds would be created according to the design, and prototypes would be produced by injecting the resin sent from Poonglim. An Excel file detailing the mold production process was shared with all team members. For each of the six parts, the manufacturing schedule was written out, and progress was color-coded with orange and green markers. Poonglim’s Vice President Cho Mi-hee, unfamiliar with this sort of manufacturing discipline, asked what “Barrel 29 22” meant, as written in the chart. It was the factory’s way of saying that the outer barrel (barrel) injection molding would be completed at 10 p.m. on the 29th.
December 28, 2020 — D-2
Mold is the root of all roots in manufacturing. Whether it’s a cellphone, refrigerator, or even a mask or diagnostic kit, if you want to produce ten or more identical products, you need a mold. If you visit a mold factory, it truly smells like a factory. It gives you the feeling of a boxer with well-developed lean muscles. While grinding metal and drilling holes, precise machining is done with no tolerance for even 0.1mm error. In terms of equipment manufacturing, Germany is number one in the world, but when it comes to making molds using that equipment, Korea is second to none.
CEO Oh Eung-taek of Yoonil Precision began emergency operations starting on the 27th. Most of the employees gave up their Christmas holiday. Now 65 years old, Oh has spent his entire career in factories since graduation. During the IMF crisis, he left the once-booming Samsung Electronics and started his own business. Today, he operates factories not only in Korea but also in China, Vietnam, and India. These days, the quality of molds is largely determined by the equipment, but ultimately, it’s still a human endeavor. If the precision and care of human hands are missing, the results are a mess.
With a determined expression, Oh addressed his employees: “Now the ball is in Yoonil’s court. If we fail, this project fails. Forget the 52-hour workweek—this job doesn’t allow for that. I’m willing to be reported. But remember this one thing. This is for the people of the Republic of Korea.”.
December 29, 2020 — D-1
It rained over the weekend, and today sleet is falling. In a way, this kind of day is good for working. At the Gumi and Gwangju factories, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Only the humming sound of machines cutting metal echoed throughout. In what can only be described as a miracle, all six parts of the mold were completed at both factories. Test injection began using the resin received from Poonglim. Center Director Kim Jong ho requested that they produce as many as possible. They needed at least about 50 units to properly test them and determine whether mass production was viable. Once the product arrived, Poonglim had to check whether the parts assembled correctly and apply scale markings on the outer barrel. These were all things that needed to be prepared in advance. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety had its own tasks to handle, and so did the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Everyone was on standby.
December 30, 2020 — D-day
All 31 team members gathered again in Gunsan. The atmosphere was filled with peak tension. The scale markings had been printed, and now it was time for final assembly. Once assembled, the finished products were inspected to check for any defects. The big question was, what would the residual volume be? This syringe had been rushed together with all sorts of ideas, like roasting beans over a lightning fire—would it work? Three test results came out: 8μL, 10μL, and 12μL. All of them were less than half of Pfizer’s required level. The syringe team turned the whole process into a video, took photos of the syringe samples, and sent them to Pfizer. The actual products were sent via the fastest delivery service available. The Pfizer representative, after watching the video, was speechless. He asked again, “Is this really possible?”
In fact, the syringe project didn’t end here. Making a prototype and mass production are completely different matters. As the team began making the prototype, they simultaneously prepared the mass production facility. They downsized bulky equipment and installed Internet of Things systems. They also reorganized inefficient production lines. After completing all of this, they accomplished the mass production mission in just one month. At the start of the new year in 2021, the slogan in the group chat was changed. It now read: “LDS syringes are a battle of timing.”
[Son Hyun-duk, Chief Editorial Writer]
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