Kolmar Korea eyes new plant in Pennsylvania

Kolmar's factory in Sejong (Kolmar)

Kolmar Korea, a cosmetics original design manufacturer, is considering building its second manufacturing facility in the US, a company official said Monday.

Olyphant, Pennsylvania, is being discussed as the location for the new manufacturing facility, an official from Kolmar Korea said, but plans about the size or timeline have not been decided.

In 2016, Kolmar Korea entered the US market by acquiring Pennsylvania-based cosmetics ODM maker Process Technologies & Packaging. The company has been producing mainly color cosmetics at the manufacturing facility.

Kolmar Korea’s move to build another overseas production base came as global demand for cosmetic products is expected to increase as economies reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic, industry sources said.

Outside Korea, Kolmar Korea operates manufacturing facilities in three different countries.

Kolmar Korea's US facility, with a gross floor area of 17,850 square meters, annually produces some 163 million cosmetic products.

The company’s Canadian branch spans 10,578 square meters and produces 102 million products a year.

In China, Kolmar Korea has two factories of 31,000 square meters and 74,600 square meters. In China alone, the company annually produces a total of 652 million cosmetic products.

In Korea, Kolmar Korea annually produces around 587 million cosmetic products at two manufacturing facilities in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, and Sejong, which are 9,757 square meters and 34,651 square meters, respectively.

Last week, Kolmar Korea also announced that the company will build a new manufacturing facility in Sejong on a 58,895-square-meter plot of land, which will help boost production by 220 million products a year.

Construction of the new Sejong plant is expected to begin in the first half of is year and aims to be completed in 2024, the firm said.

By Shim Woo-hyun(ws@heraldcorp.com)