Ultra-low temperature freezing is required for some vaccines, research materials, raw materials, semi-finished products, and an increasing number of biotechnologically manufactured products. Movianto has established proven hardware and processes for this purpose in a total of nine European countries, with two more to follow soon.
“In two countries, namely Switzerland and Slovakia, we are still in the implementation phase,” says Thomas Creuzberger, CEO of Movianto, which belongs to the French Walden Group. “Otherwise, we already meet the increasing demand of the pharmaceutical industry in this area at our own warehouse locations in Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Czech Republic.” Transport for product distribution is also offered. The goods can be transported in special containers where the ultra-low temperature is maintained constantly, or the goods are thawed under controlled conditions during shipping preparation and then transported to their destination either frozen (minus 20°C) or chilled at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius using active cooling.
Movianto began building ultra-low temperature storage capacity and developing shipping processes more than 10 years ago. During the coronavirus pandemic, these capacities were further expanded. "It's not just about acquiring the right specialized refrigerators, but above all about validating the equipment and ensuring the reliability of the associated processes," says Creuzberger.
These are relatively small quantities of high-quality and sensitive products. Creuzberger points to the growing number of biotechnologically manufactured products with specific deep-freeze requirements. "But this temperature range is also important in vaccine development. Especially with new vaccines, there isn't initially sufficient stability data available for different temperature ranges; this data is only acquired over time. And until then, to guarantee 100% efficacy, they are stored in ultra-low temperature conditions."
