In the realm of pharmaceuticals, a crucial behind-the-scenes player ensures that life-saving medications and vaccines retain their potency: cold storage. Amidst the global focus on vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, we became more aware of the intricate temperature requirements for preserving these vital resources–like insulin and some cancer treatments. Cold storage facilities, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, play a key role in maintaining the efficacy of pharmaceutical products from manufacturing to patient delivery.
And what does that have to do with COR3 Design? We have a Cold Storage division focused specifically on designing and project managing warehouses just like these.
Warehouses specifically designed or redesigned for cold storage require specific considerations–after all, cold chain services include “temperature-controlled storage, packaging and distribution facilities at ambient, refrigerated, frozen, ultra-frozen, vapor-phase liquid nitrogen and liquid-phase liquid nitrogen conditions” (SOURCE).
As the variety of drugs increases with alternative drugs and treatment methods against different diseases, it is inevitable that these drugs require different temperature conditions and associated logistics.
If that sounds complicated, it’s because it definitely is. Warehouses like these include state-of-the-art control and monitoring equipment to provide specific environmental conditions. They form part of what must be an incredibly reliable infrastructure for maintaining a precise temperature range when transporting from the manufacturer to the patient.
While COVID-19 cast a spotlight on the cold-chain facilities infrastructure, demand has been growing for years. Pharmaceutical giants are continuing to conduct research for new products that rely on cold storage throughout their supply chains. In fact, some experts estimate the industry loses an average of $35 billion a year thanks to failures in temperature-controlled logistics (SOURCE). In 2021, a global real estate firm estimated that the average age of cold-storage warehouses in the United States was 42 years.
Demand is clearly high, supply low for facilities that fit the bill, and the stakes of life and death incomparable.
We are proud to be part of the cold storage supply chain movement, designing warehouses with a mission. Curious about how our cold storage division works? Let’s get in touch.