Panasonic Enters $22bn Vaccine Storage Race with Freezer Boxes

松下借冷藏箱进军220亿美元的疫苗储存设备竞赛

 

Panasonic has received a deluge of requests from European and US logistics companies to trial an ultra-cold freezer box it has developed for the transportation of Covid-19 vaccines, the Japanese group said.

 

松下（Panasonic）表示，该公司收到来自欧洲和美国物流公司的大量请求，要测试该公司研发的一款用于运输新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19，即2019冠状病毒病）疫苗的超低温冷藏箱。

 

The Tesla supplier’s entry into the race to develop products for the fast-growing global vaccine storage business comes as the Japanese government prepares to roll out its Covid-19 inoculation programme from late February. Public criticism is mounting in Japan over the slow pace of the scheme.

 

在这家特斯拉（Tesla）供应商加入为快速增长的全球疫苗储存业务开发产品的竞赛之际，日本政府正准备从2月底开始推进该国的新冠疫苗接种计划。在日本，公众对本国疫苗接种计划进展缓慢的批评越来越多。

 

“There is a serious shortage of freezer boxes even as the vaccine rollout has started globally,” Shinya Kojima, chief engineer at Panasonic’s appliance unit, said in an interview. “We’ve already received so many inquiries from all over the world including Japan, the US, Singapore, France, South Korea and China.”

 

松下电器部门首席工程师Shinya Kojima在一次采访中表示：“虽然疫苗分发工作已在全球启动，但冷藏箱仍然严重短缺。我们已经收到如此多来自世界各地的问询，包括日本、美国、新加坡、法国、韩国和中国。”

 

Mr Kojima adapted Panasonic’s technology for conserving energy in refrigerators to develop a portable box that can be used to transport vaccines and other materials at a temperature of minus 70C.

 

Shinya Kojima利用松下的冰箱节能技术，开发了一款便携式冷藏箱，可以在零下70摄氏度的温度下运输疫苗和其他物质。

 

Of the two types of boxes, the larger 120-litre box is capable of storing 5,000 vaccine doses at the ultra-cold temperature for 18 days by packing it with 34kg of dry ice.

 

在两种型号的冷藏箱中，较大一款容量为120升，通过装入34公斤干冰，能够在这一超低温下储存5000剂疫苗18天。

 

The company had already made a similar product in 2019 but Mr Kojima launched a new project in December to improve storage conditions to fit the unique requirements of the Covid-19 vaccines under development.

 

该公司在2019年已生产过一款类似产品，但Shinya Kojima去年12月启动了一个改善储存条件的新项目，以满足研发中的新冠疫苗的独特要求。

 

With the upgrades, the boxes can now be used to store the vaccine developed by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, which must be transported at minus 70C. Last week, the Japanese government secured a deal with the US pharmaceutical company for 144m doses of its shot, enough to inoculate about half of the country’s population.

 

升级之后，这些冷藏箱现在可以用于储存辉瑞（Pfizer）与德国BioNTech公司联合研发的疫苗，这款疫苗必须在零下70摄氏度的温度下运输。上周，日本政府与这家美国制药公司达成协议，由后者向其提供1.44亿剂疫苗，足够满足该国约一半人口的接种需求。

 

Panasonic plans to distribute samples of its boxes, called Vixell, to pharmaceutical and logistics companies from the end of March. It will begin selling or leasing them shortly afterwards.

 

松下计划从3月底开始，向制药和物流公司分发这种名为Vixell的真空断热冷藏箱的样品。不久之后它将开始出售或出租这种冷藏箱。

 

The group has not disclosed pricing and production plans for the boxes, but Mr Kojima said it would start producing several thousand per year and boost its capacity depending on demand.

 

该公司尚未披露这种冷藏箱的定价和生产计划，但Shinya Kojima表示松下初步会每年生产数千个，然后根据需求扩大产能。

 

Shares in Panasonic have risen 8.4 per cent since the company unveiled the technology on Thursday, underscoring strong investor interest in the growth potential of the vaccine storage business.

 

自上周四松下公布这项技术以来，该公司股价已上涨8.4%，突显出投资者对疫苗存储业务增长潜力的浓厚兴趣。

 

With the scale Panasonic is considering, the storage boxes are unlikely to have a big impact on its earnings in the short term. But it has a long history in refrigeration and freezing technology as well as a minority stake in PHC Holdings, its former healthcare unit and a big participant in vaccine storage that is now controlled by private equity group KKR.

 

鉴于松下目前考虑的规模，这一冷藏箱短期内不太可能对其盈利产生重大影响。但该公司在冷藏和冷冻技术方面有着悠久的历史，还在其前医疗部门PHC Holdings持有少数股权。PHC Holdings是疫苗储存领域的重要参与者，目前由私人股本集团KKR控股。

 

The global market for vaccine storage and packaging business is expected to grow from $22.3bn last year to $43.3bn by 2027 with storage accounting for the largest revenue, according to US-based market research firm Grand View Research. Other key players in the medical freezer market include Thermo Fisher Scientific of the US and Chinese appliance maker Haier.

 

美国市场研究公司Grand View Research预计，到2027年，全球疫苗储存和包装业务市场将从去年的223亿美元增长至433亿美元，其中储存业务将成为最大的收入来源。医用低温箱市场的其他关键参与者包括美国的赛默飞世尔科技（Thermo Fisher Scientific）和中国家电制造商海尔（Haier）。

 

Beyond vaccines, Mr Kojima also said the boxes could be used to store other medical drugs as well as semiconductor materials that required stringent temperature control. “We will study the market reaction and consider how to expand this business,” he said.

 

Shinya Kojima还表示，除了疫苗，这些冷藏箱还可用来储存其他药品以及需要严格控制温度的半导体材料。他表示：“我们将研究市场反应，并考虑如何扩大这项业务。”

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