New container with -15°C to -25°C operating range addresses pharma market niche
SkyCell has developed the 1500F container, which works across temperatures from minus 15° Celsius to minus 25° Celsius and offers a specialised solution for data-driven temperature-controlled hybrid containers for the pharmaceutical industry.
The 1500F is the eighth container in SkyCell’s product suite covering all temperature ranges for the high value pharmaceutical product transportation.
SkyCell’s solution maintains a steady temperature of minus 15° Celsius to minus 25° Celsius for more than 120 hours without recharging, enabling between 2 and 3 million vials to be transported in a single aircraft.
This container, built on SkyCell’s platform approach, is a “game-changer” due to its strong performance and lightweight design (only 470kg). The efficient design also leads to a reduction of CO2 emissions by as much as half, as the containers are built from a recyclable multi-layer material.
This material absorbs impact and dampens the vibrations from aircraft and trucks that are – along with excursions outside optimal temperature range – a leading cause of in-transit product spoilage. This has led the company to have a verified product loss rate of less than 0.1 per cent.
Nico Ros, CTO and cofounder at SkyCell, comments: “Pharma clients not only want high quality products and ease of use, but they want the consistency of being able to use the same supplier. Therefore, when it became clear there would be a need for a container operating in this temperature range, we set out to build it to offer our clients all temperature ranges.
“We worked with Ansys’ advanced AI software to calculate the most efficient design while maintaining our laser-sharp focus on safety – both in terms of protecting the viability of the product and when it comes to the container itself.
“This new offering means we now have containers specifically designed for every temperature range, ensuring current and yet-to-be developed vaccines and other lifesaving medicines can reach destinations around the world safely, securely, and with minimal product loss.”
Richard Ettl, CEO and Co-Founder of SkyCell, comments: “As with everything we do at SkyCell, we are constantly innovating and improving our offering to ensure life-saving biologics make it to their destination fully functioning not matter what happens in the supply chain.
“Our new 1500F container is no different, and allows pharma companies to ship more safely their APIs and finished products in this underserved growing market segment while optimising supply chains using data to predict and control risk. SkyCell has deep experience in creating safe and efficient pharmaceutical container solutions that protect from temperature excursions, mishandling and unexpected disruptions in the current environment.
“We have already seen 60 per cent year-on-year growth in 2020, as pharmaceutical companies and governments around the world recognise the need to ensure their supply chains are robust enough to deliver critical products in viable condition and at sufficient volume.”
SkyCell is expected to produce 70-100 units of the 1500F container per month, which, for example, could conceivably deliver enough vaccines to vaccinate a country like Switzerland in one month.
The design of the 1500F container means it can maintain a stable internal temperature despite what might be happening externally. Additionally, thanks to advanced CAD design and SkyCell technology the containers can store up to five times more energy than traditional solutions, helping to keep the container at a steady temperature for more than 120h.
The container is also easy to handle, with no extra equipment needed – only a pallet jacket is required to load the container onto a truck. Loading the container itself is an almost effortless six-step process: open, close, load goods, close, and ship.
