PHCbi

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Project overview

Tobin Scientific and PHCbi have announced a collaboration to address the unique transportation requirements of a COVID-19 vaccine. Tobin trailers fitted with PHCbi ultra-low temperature freezers will maintain temperature throughout transit. This solution is more reliable than using a thermal shipper, which poses potential for failure and staffing challenges. The collaboration uses local, regionalized freezer-to-freezer delivery routes and PHCbi freezers that hold 140,000 doses, for a total trailer capacity of 1 million doses. The two companies are confident their solution will provide a robust and effective distribution of the vaccine.

Our tailored solution

The Tobin Scientific team and PHC Corporation of North America (formerly Panasonic Healthcare) have collaborated to jointly develop a distribution solution that they believe is far more reliable. The solution uses local, regionalized freezer-to-freezer delivery routes on Tobin’s specialized, back-up generator-powered and redundant, temperature-controlled trailers. The trailer units are outfitted with 220v electrical plugs for PHCbi brand freezers to ensure temperature continuity. Tobin’s trailers utilize their patented IQ/OQ cGMP/cGLP calibrated temperature monitoring systems with real-time, live readings recorded locally, in-cab, and transmitted over cell service. With each selected PHCbi brand freezer able to hold approximately 140,000 doses, this would put trailer capacity at 1 million doses across the entire fleet of specialized trailers. Regional distribution routes will be able to dispatch from Tobin’s scalable biorepository, strategically located 20 miles outside of Boston and 25 minutes from Logan airport. Daily routes to and from Logan would receive pallet loads of vaccine for storage at the Tobin biorepository, ready for redistribution on the daily routes.

“We’re pleased to partner with Tobin Scientific to address a vital need: the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine without the need for dry ice. Combining the unmatched reliability and temperature uniformity of PHCbi freezers, along with the specialized logistics experience of Tobin, we’re confident we have developed a robust and effective distribution solution. This represents a critical piece of the vaccine distribution puzzle. PHCbi and Tobin Scientific are able to combine our core strengths to meet the requirements of our customers and society in addressing this critical healthcare need,” said PHCbi’s Vice President Murray Wigmore.