Covid: the invention of a start-up in Montpellier to respect the cold chain in vaccine transportation

Transport of the vaccine against COVID-19 

France 3 Occitanie presents the association of a pharmaceutical isothermal bag with a traceability of temperature maintenance:
 
A temperature recorder from KOOVEA combined with MedicalCase medical coolers from COLD & CO.
 
Millions of doses of Covid vaccines are currently being shipped around the world. This is a challenge for transporters who must respect the cold chain. In Montpellier, a start-up company has developed a technology that addresses this problem and its order book is exploding.
 
Minus 70°C: that’s the temperature above which Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna’s anti-Covid vaccines must not rise, otherwise they will lose their immunity and suffer side effects.
 

Case of MedicalCase 12L

Carrying case for the anti-Covid vaccine equipped with the temperature tracking sensor of the Montpellier start-up Koovea – © François Jobard, France 3 Occitanie.

From then on, their routing becomes a real challenge for transporters: how to ensure that the cold chain is respected ? The box invented by a Montpellier start-up in 2019 makes it possible. Result: for several weeks, the company Koovea has noticed a sharp increase in its orders.

Cold and humidity have complicated the design of the box 

 

This device measures only a few centimeters. Connected and intelligent, it slips into the vaccine’s carrying case and allows the traceability of the temperature of sensitive products down to minus 200 degrees, thanks to an innovative process that gave Romain Penot, electronic engineer at Koovea, a hard time:

« The conditions of transport and storage of the vaccine are extreme: intense cold, humidity… The electronics, the plastics, the battery: all the material suffers. Yet we manage to achieve three to five years of autonomy despite the very low temperatures, but that was one of the biggest difficulties in the design. »

Romain Penot, electronic engineer at Koovea

 

 

Temperature tracking smartphone application

 

Because the covid-19 vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degrees, a tolerance of plus or minus 10 degrees is accepted. Beyond that, an alert is automatically sent to the carrier’s phone on which the temperatures of each refrigerated container are displayed, so that he can act to preserve the viability of the product, as explained by Yohann Caboni, director and co-founder of Koovea:

« We developed a whole system with sensors, keywords, a computer interface and an application that allows for real-time tracking of temperature, specifications and location of all Covid vaccine-type health products. »

Yohann Caboni, director and co-founder of Koovea

 

Activity up 10 to 20%.

 

Every week, 500,000 doses of vaccine are sent to France. The pace should accelerate from February.

In this context, the Montpellier-based start-up, which has customers all over the world, has seen its activity increase by 10 to 20% in recent weeks and this growth should continue.

Any questions ?

By submitting this form, you authorize this website to store the information submitted in order to respond to you.

Transport at controlled ambient temperatures between +18°C and +25°C: a logistical challenge for medical devices

The +18°C to +25°C thermal challenge at the heart of medical logistics When it comes to transporting in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDMDs), certain entities face a very specific challenge: maintaining a strictly controlled temperature between 18°C and 25°C, whatever the season. In winter as in summer, this requirement for thermal stability is crucial to […]

Transport at controlled ambient temperatures between +18°C and +25°C: a logistical challenge for medical devices Lire la suite »

Keeping the Cold Chain during the handling of messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19

Exposure of Cominarty and Moderna vaccines to room temperature for more than 3 minutes is irreversible as the vaccine is considered thawed. It can’t be re-frozen. In January 2021, the Cold Health Commission “Covid-19” of the « Association Française du Froid » (AFF) published several understanding notes, information and good practices of the cold chain around COVID-19 vaccines. 1.

Keeping the Cold Chain during the handling of messenger RNA vaccines against COVID-19 Lire la suite »

COLD & CO supports VelyVelo with its refrigeration offer

To develop its offering in the refrigerated cyclo-logistics segment, long-term electric bike rental specialist VelyVelo is working with COLD & CO!  Photo Froid-news.com Founded by Jamil El Garti and Othman Razine, restaurateurs and pioneers of home delivery by electric bike, the company expanded its business to include grocery delivery in 2019. Faced with the limitations

COLD & CO supports VelyVelo with its refrigeration offer Lire la suite »

COLD & CO’s CarryTemp XL9 supports the ColisActiv program

In Lyon and the surrounding area, over a million parcels have already been delivered by cargo bike, thanks to the ColisActiv program.  Photo Michel Nielly The ColisActiv program, set up by the Metropole de Lyon, has reached an important milestone with the delivery of its one millionth parcel by cargo bike in the center of the

COLD & CO’s CarryTemp XL9 supports the ColisActiv program Lire la suite »

How do you deliver prepared meals to your customers’ homes?

Our isothermal packaging Fresh Paper Pack presented by  BOKA FOOD Our client ? Luigi de Luca, competitor in Strongman, son, grandson and little brother of restaurateur, wanted to combine these two worlds by creating in 2020 BOKA FOOD, a company specializing in the delivery of prepared meals (Meal Prep) healthy, balanced, local and adapted to people

How do you deliver prepared meals to your customers’ homes? Lire la suite »

Distribution of heat-sensitive health products – How to maintain the temperature?

A topical challenge with the upcoming distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine The development and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine raises several questions about the logistics of distributing health products. The challenge concerns both the number of doses to be dispensed, the countries and manufacturing sites, but also the temperature range to which the product will be

Distribution of heat-sensitive health products – How to maintain the temperature? Lire la suite »

COLD AND CO showcases its products at the « Salon des Maires et des Collectivités Locales »

21/22/23 NOVEMBRE 2023 PORTE DE VERSAILLESPAVILLON 6 – H10 Come and meet us and discover our range of products dedicated to the transport and storage of your heat-sensitive products. Our solutions are particularly well-suited to the new uses of local authorities for transporting food products, as well as to the new urban challenges of energy

COLD AND CO showcases its products at the « Salon des Maires et des Collectivités Locales » Lire la suite »

La Poste decarbonizes its urban logistics 

During the SITL 2023 (International Transport and Logistics Week), La Poste, through the voice of its director of urban logistics (La Poste Courrier et Colis) Jean-Louis Carrasco, explained its plan to completely decarbonize its urban logistics by 2050. La Poste, which is the national postal service of France, is indeed seeking to reduce its carbon

La Poste decarbonizes its urban logistics  Lire la suite »