NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A North Kansas City-based company just launched a product it said provides a revolutionary way to solve the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain deficiencies in storing, transporting, and distributing vaccines that need to be kept at extremely cold temperatures.
Vaccine Pods created an off-grid power solution that can deliver vaccines at uninterrupted ultra-low temperatures while using green, sustainable energy sources.
The technological breakthrough was developed by Vaccine Pods in partnership with HCI Energy, and was designed for use with Stirling Ultracold’s SU780XLE vaccine freezers.
According to the World Health Organization, roughly 50% of all vaccines must be discarded worldwide each year due to improper handling and failed temperature control.
Edward Collins, CEO and Founder of Vaccine Pods said, “to help solve this public health crisis, we have engineered a cost-effective, energy-efficient technology that increases ULT cold chain storage capacity and power while working completely off the grid, enabling organizations to safely distribute more vaccines at reduced expenses. Because of its cost savings and continual energy supply, this technology will not only help densely populated localities, but also rural areas and developing countries that traditionally have not enjoyed the same access to these resources.”
Vaccine Pods’ power solution provides comprehensive visibility of storage freezers across the supply chain. These real-time insights include:
- Temperatures of freezers located anywhere in the world
- 24-hour monitoring of location(s)
- Security and remote access permissions
- Solar array and deployment status with real-time weather tracking to deploy or retract the solar panels in the case of inclement weather
- Power system performance and status
- Fuel levels
“The industry is facing an unprecedented situation. COVID vaccines must be kept at extremely low temperatures, whether they’re in transit or being stored in a local healthcare facility. Supply chains face major operational hurdles to support the proper distribution of these vaccines at such massive scale,” said Dusty Tenney, CEO, Stirling Ultracold.
Headquartered in North Kansas City, Mo., Vaccine Pods said it plans to continue growing its staff, ramp up go-to-market efforts and expand its global reach in 2021.
To learn more about the company and explore employment opportunities, visit www.vaccinepods.com.
