[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] "The United States is where Kolmar began 100 years ago. The second factory in the United States is not just a factory, but a starting point for a new vision and cooperation. With the second factory as a base, we will build an innovation ecosystem with various value chain partners and grow it into the largest cosmetics manufacturing hub in North America.”

Yoon Sang-hyun, Vice Chairman of Kolmar Group, made these remarks at the completion ceremony for Kolmar USA's second plant held on July 16 (local time), presenting a vision for Kolmar Korea's expansion into the global market.

The completion ceremony held that day in Scott Township, Pennsylvania was attended by approximately 100 people including Vice Chairman Yoon, Pennsylvania State Representative Bridget Kosierowski, state government officials, and representatives of client companies.

Kolmar Korea has completed construction of its second Kolmar USA factory (hereinafter referred to as the second factory) in the United States, the world’s largest cosmetics market, and is now fully operational. With the completion of the second factory, Kolmar Korea has secured an annual production capacity of 300 million units in the United States alone, and as a result, not only K-beauty companies but also global cosmetics companies can fundamentally resolve the burden of US export tariffs, which has recently become an issue, through local production.

The second plant has a total floor area of 17,805㎡ and can produce approximately 120 million products per year. When combined with the existing first plant, it will have an annual production capacity of approximately 300 million products. Including the Canadian corporation, the entire North American region can produce approximately 470 million products per year. This is the largest production capacity among ODM companies in North America.

The second factory focuses on producing basic skincare and suncare cosmetics that have recently gained popularity in the U.S. market. With the completion of the second factory, Korea Kolmar is now able to produce all products in the U.S., including color cosmetics, basic skincare, and suncare products.

In addition, by obtaining OTC (over-the-counter) certification for sunscreen production from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company has established a production base that can respond quickly and efficiently to the rapidly increasing demand for K-sunscreen locally.

Kolmar Korea applied the advanced production system of the Sejong plant, which has been recognized by over 4,300 customers around the world, to its second plant. This is to transplant the 'MADE BY KOLMAR' manufacturing technology that has recently swept the world to the US mainland and to ensure that products produced locally have the same level of quality as Korean products.

The second plant was designed based on the operational experience of the Sejong plant in Korea, including the manufacturing room, filling room, and packaging room, as well as the core manufacturing infrastructure. In particular, the production process introduced cutting-edge AI-based quality monitoring and process optimization technology to minimize the defect rate, while 80% of the entire process system was automated. The same principles as the Sejong plant were applied to logistics and worker movement lines that maximize production efficiency and safety.

Kolmar Korea expects that its second factory will serve as a “tariff-safe zone” that can avoid tariff burdens that may arise when exporting to the U.S., and will meet the demands of domestic and international customers. It also expects to position itself as the optimal collaboration partner for not only local U.S. brands but also global customers who strategically choose “MADE IN USA.”

A representative of Kolmar Korea said, “The second factory in the U.S. is the first case in which a Korean cosmetics company has established a direct production facility in the U.S. rather than acquiring a factory there,” and added, “We will respond quickly to the various needs of K-beauty companies that want to enter the U.S. without tariff burdens, as well as customers who want to enter global markets such as North America, Europe, and South America, and expand our collaborative system.”