Listening to the needs of the medical world is at the heart of our strategy. In an intent to collect feedback on our new medical refrigeration solutions, we discussed with Samuel Loonus, a long-standing customer of B Medical Systems who has just acquired a laboratory freezer and validated an ultra-low freezer – two of our Premium Line models.

Mr. Loonus, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Would you like to start the interview by introducing yourself and your company?

I started my career at GSK Vaccines in Wavre back in 1998. Located in Belgium, GSK Vaccines is the biggest vaccine production site in the world, with more than 8,000 people working on a total surface of 550,000m². Over the years, I have occupied various positions. Currently, I am project coordinator in the building dedicated to vaccines formulation. We produce more than 20 different vaccines that help protect children around the world from polio, tuberculosis, and malaria to name a few.

We understood that GSK Vaccines develops, produces and distributes over 2.5 million vaccines every day to people across 170 countries. Could you please explain why your business rely on cold storage systems?

The vaccines we manufacture are temperature-sensitive, which means that they need to be kept at a constant temperature. All the way through the process of manufacturing, vaccines need to stay within a specific temperature range. The most minor temperature variation can damage their potency. In order to ensure an unbroken cold chain, we rely on self-regulating cooling systems that guarantee accurate and stable temperatures. My department handles and stores the components that constitute final vaccines. To ensure their integrity, these components – both raw and processed – are stored at set temperatures of -20°C and -45°C.

What solutions has B Medical Systems been providing you?

Our collaboration with B Medical Systems goes back to 2011 when the vaccines formulation building opened its doors. Our facilities are equipped with approximately 10 freezers, which keep safe thousands of biological components. Recently we have acquired a laboratory freezer F700, and validated an ultra-low freezer U701. Both units are certified as medical devices. The validation test results confirmed that the new model complies with our expectations. The temperature is stable, accurate and uniform at all time within the cabinet. When it comes to energy consumption and noise level, both models are also satisfying.

Is there a specific feature that you particularly appreciate among the new medical refrigeration and blood management solutions launched by B Medical Systems?

B Medical Systems surprised us with its new integrated monitoring and data recording system. In my opinion, it is the most innovative feature of the new models. The so-called °B Connected solution allows lab staff to be alerted of any temperature excursion, and to keep an eye on the performance of the freezers in real time. I believe that this solution would also come in handy in case of problems with the handling of the freezers and their content, given that it records and archives all the events, including information regarding the door openings.

To conclude, are you satisfied with B Medical Systems’ medical devices and services?

The cold storage solutions offered by B Medical Systems fulfil our expectations. The company and its Belgian distributor SHMC listen to our needs and requests. We appreciate the quality of the products as much as the after-sales services.

Thank you so much for your trust and collaboration.