Kimchi Refrigerator Company Produces Freezers for COVID-19 Vaccines?

Winia Dimchae Develops 'MediBox'... "Aiming for Release Within Q1"

Ultra-low temperature freezer for COVID-19 vaccines developed by Winia Dimchae
[Photo by Winia Dimchae]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] "Because there is a temperature control technology that maintains the freezer temperature consistently, we believed it would be possible to produce related products and started research and development (R&D)."

A representative of Winia Dimchae, an appliance subsidiary of Daeyu Winia Group, explained the reason for developing a COVID-19 vaccine freezer on the 31st. The representative said, "After the decision to introduce the COVID-19 vaccine domestically, there were ongoing issues regarding how to store and transport it," adding, "We combined the technology that continuously maintains the temperature of existing kimchi refrigerators with technology to lower the internal temperature to ultra-low temperatures and prepared to develop the vaccine freezer for about three months starting at the end of last year."

Winia Dimchae announced on the 27th that it had developed an ultra-low temperature freezer capable of safely storing COVID-19 vaccines in collaboration with Daeyu Plus, a kimchi refrigerator manufacturer. They aim to launch it within the first quarter of this year. The freezer is named 'MediBox.' According to the company, MediBox can be set from minus 80 degrees Celsius to plus 10 degrees Celsius, allowing customized storage of all vaccines scheduled for domestic inoculation, including the UK Pfizer and US Moderna vaccines, which require ultra-low temperature storage at minus 70 to 80 degrees Celsius (based on minus 20 degrees storage), as well as vaccines stored at room temperature.

From the top) AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson-Janssen vaccines [AFP·Reuters file photo / Image source=Yonhap News]

This product is a small freezer with a capacity of 90 liters and a weight of 65 kilograms. One unit can store enough COVID-19 vaccines for about 18,000 people. Using an inverter compressor and a separate battery pack, it can maintain ultra-low temperatures for 1 to 2 hours during distribution and storage without external power. A Winia Dimchae representative predicted, "Once COVID-19 vaccinations become full-scale, it will be easier to transport and supply vaccines to small medical institutions such as public health centers and neighborhood clinics."

The COVID-19 vaccine freezer is not produced by designating manufacturers at the government or quarantine authority level. It is expected that products made by companies with relevant technology, like Winia Dimchae, will be selected through public bidding later. Winia Dimchae has filed a patent application for MediBox and is also applying for three related technology patents. Daeyu Plus is pursuing medical device manufacturing approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

A Winia Dimchae representative said, "The COVID-19 vaccine freezer is the first medical product developed with business-to-business (B2B) transactions in mind," adding, "If MediBox successfully enters the market, we will be able to develop additional medical-related products linked with existing product lines such as air purifiers."