The whole world spent a year anticipating covid-19 vaccines, and when they arrived the conversation turned to rollout programmes, health statistics and scourges of misinformation. Through all that noise, however, most people took one thing for granted: the transportation of vaccine doses from one point to another.
But handling medical substances is not always simple: mRNA vaccines, for instance, require storage at ultra-low temperatures. If any part of the “cold chain” is broken, the vaccine is ruined.
Headquartered in a village in the Éislek region, B Medical Systems specialises in the transport and storage of blood, plasma and pharmaceuticals like vaccines. Among its recent developments is a special freezer capable of operating at various temperatures between -86°C and -20°C.
“This feature provides the much-needed ‘versatility’ for countries in their covid-19 vaccine rollout programmes,” explains CEO Luc Provost. “By procuring our ultra-low freezers, the country can store the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna vaccine or even the Sputnik V vaccine in the same unit.”
The company has also collaborated with the Toyota Tsusho Corporation to create a refrigerated vaccine transport vehicle that meets the WHO’s performance, quality and safety requirements—the world’s first, says Provost. “This vaccine transport solution is very important as it allows large quantities of vaccines to be transported to the most remote locations that lack basic road infrastructure,” he says. “This vehicle will simplify and revolutionise the last-mile delivery of vaccines and medicines in many places around the world, and I am very excited to see it happen.”
The secret
When asked about the secret to the firm’s success, Provost indicates a single factor: people. “We wouldn’t be able to have the success we are currently having without all the people working for B Medical Systems,” he says. “They have worked tirelessly to provide our customers the products they needed, even during the worst periods of the pandemic.”
He adds: “Our team has also worked day and night to create new products and features thereby delivering great flexibility in the vaccine cold chain.”
International presence
The firm has opened up two international subsidiaries in recent years, one each in the US and India. This success is thanks in part to the Luxembourg government as well as the commune of Hosingen, says Provost. “It was from a summit between Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the peak of the covid-19 pandemic,” he explains, “that our opportunity to set up an additional facility in India was born.”
“Luxembourg has always been at the core of our company’s DNA,” he adds, citing the country’s ecosystem, supportive government, skilled and diverse workforce, and infrastructure as business positives.