The new factory extension of B Medical Systems, a global leader in the vaccine cold chain, was inaugurated by the Honourable Luxembourg Minister of Economy, Mr Franz Fayot, and Honorable Luxembourg Minister of Health, Ms Paulette Lenert, at its corporate headquarters in Luxembourg.
The inauguration ceremony initiated with a company presentation from Mr Luc Provost, CEO of B Medical Systems, and was followed by speeches from the honourable ministers. Luc mentions that “The global rollout of the covid vaccine has been, for our company, a fantastic opportunity and also a fantastic challenge. BMS is playing an important role in delivering the vaccine safely to many different countries.” And adds, “It is important to know that BMS has been a global leader in the vaccine cold chain for more than four decades.”
Mr Franz Fayot congratulated Mr Luc Provost and the entire team for the massive and impressive effort that was made during the pandemic; “misfortune can be a step towards happiness, and you truly stand out with the efforts you made during this pandemic.”
Mr. Luc Provost has a proven executive management track record and over 20 years of experience in driving sales growth. He is passionate about helping save lives by providing solutions in the remotest areas and is also a prominent speaker and thought leader in the field of medical refrigeration.
To meet the increased demand for medical cold chain solutions across the world, BMS, with the support of the government of Luxembourg, was able to expand its production facility in record timed and provide healthcare organisations all over the world with the reliable medical equipment they required. The new factory expansion of around 4,500 m2, will create around 150 additional jobs. More than €15M have been invested in this project.
This project is divided in three different phases: Phase 1 and 2 of the project, that comprised the construction of new production halls and the optimisation of existing floor space, is expected to help the company double its production capacity for the vaccine cold chain units and quintuple the production capacity for Ultra-Low Freezers. The new production hall includes assembly lines, end of testing lines, and packaging sections and was completed in July 2021. The development activity now continues into phase 3 covering a new warehouse and office phases and is expected to be completed by the end of November 2021.
During the ceremony, the CEO mentioned his gratitude towards the government: “Today is a major milestone for us. The production capacity expansion reflects our strong commitment to the world in ensuring reliable medical cold chain solutions with the shortest lead times. Special thanks to the Government of Luxembourg, especially the Ministry of Economy and the commune of Hosingen, for their constant support and assistance. We aim to make Luxembourg a global leader in the end-to-end medical cold chain industry, and this facility takes us one step closer to realising this dream.”
The Luxembourg-based healthcare company has partnered with Toyota Tsusho Corporation to create a refrigerated vaccine transport vehicle. The refrigerated vaccine transport vehicle (RVTV) is a 4 WD (four-wheel drive) and includes a refrigerator fixed into the vehicle. The RVTV is used for the safe transport of vaccines, pharmaceuticals or any specimens at temperatures between +2C to +8C. With the ability to travel through hostile and narrow road networks, the RVTV can maintain a reliable storage environment until the last point of the national cold chain. The modular shelving in the RVTV also provides a safe, vial breakage free transportation option for the vaccines. The vaccine refrigerator is powered via the vehicle while in motion and can also be powered by an external regular electric supply when parked. The vehicle provides almost a day’s autonomy, in the absence of any power supply.
Paulette Lenert, Minister of Health, pointed out: “Given the current pandemic of COVID-19, cold chain solutions are crucial to ensure stable storage and transport of vaccines. I am therefore particularly pleased that a Luxembourg company is able to offer this kind of expertise, to develop and produce such important products, and to share them with us and the world. Let me also recall the importance of the Luxembourg private sector’s expertise for developing countries, supporting them in their efforts to provide essential health services adapted to the needs of their citizens, and thus saving lives.”
The company is dedicated to the research, development, and manufacture of medical refrigeration equipment. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, BMS has supported governments and healthcare organisations around the world in deploying a reliable cold chain for the safe storage and transport of vaccines. Through its long-lasting relationships with global humanitarian organisations such as UNICEF, the WHO, Gavi, Health Ministries, and more, B Medical Systems has installed more than four 400,000 units across 130+ countries throughout the world for safely storing and transporting vaccines, medicines, blood, and other samples. Its recent projects include the COVID-19 vaccine cold chain projects in across 50+ countries across the world, including Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Luxembourg, France, Germany, UK, Austria, Romania, Serbia, Italy, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia etc.
B Medical Systems also manufactures blood management solutions, such as blood bank refrigerators, plasma freezers, and plasma shock freezers that are employed by the clinical sector and blood transfusion segment around the globe. B Medical Systems is also one of the few companies in the world to have an end-to-end refrigeration solution certified by EU MDR, US FDA, and WHO PQS.
For more information, please visit the BMS official website at https://www.bmedicalsystems.com/en/
