Medical newspaper mobile site, [탐방]Equipped with Boksan Nice Cold Chain to accelerate national logistics

[의학신문·일간보사=김상일 기자]Boksan Nice, which boasts a history of 70 years, is attracting attention because it is equipped with a cold chain (low temperature distribution system) system and is accelerating the nationwide distribution network.

Panoramic view of Boksan Nice Metropolitan Distribution Center

Boksan Nice (CEO Tae-eung Eom, Seung-wook Eom) started with a pharmacy in Buksan in 1952. Busan Dongsan, Ulsan, Pyeongtaek) has a total of 6 centers in 3 locations.

Busan has 2128 pyeong, Gyeongnam 1300 pyeong, Ulsan 770 pyeong, Dongbusan 20 pyeong, and Gwangju 1450 pyeong, and the Pyeongtaek center has a total size of 3600 pyeong, with a total of about 9500 pyeong, and the refrigerated pyeong of 450 pyeong.

In the second half of this year, Boksan Nice plans to secure a land area of ​​4,000 pyeong in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do and start construction of a distribution center equipped with a cold chain system. Through such logistics investment, we will establish a nationwide drug distribution network to enhance competitiveness.

Seung-wook Um, CEO of Boksan Nice, said, “The establishment of a nationwide distribution network is the reason for the existence of drug distribution companies that handle drugs. We will be responsible for the health of the people by delivering medicines faster, more accurately and safely.”

In addition, CEO Seung-wook Eom said, “To complete the cold chain system, a storage room that can control the temperature and a dedicated box and vehicle that can maintain the temperature until it is delivered to the customer must be built.” It is necessary to have a system that monitors and checks changes in temperature in real time until it is completed.”

With this management philosophy of the management, Buksannais has been aware of the expansion of the pharmaceutical bio market and the importance of the pharmaceutical cold chain, and has invested a lot of time and money in building a cold chain since 2018.

In 2018, through FMS Korea, a dedicated cold chain box that maintains a constant temperature for 72 hours during transportation is being built and operated in stages on all vehicles. In January of this year, the Korea Cryogenic Logistics Center was expanded to 3,800 pyeong, and a cold chain automated distribution center (4000 pyeong) in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, is in progress with the goal of completing the second half of next year.

To complete the cold chain, it is essential to establish a system capable of constant temperature management. To this end, in 2019, it moved into Korea’s ultra-low temperature, where it can be stored at a very low temperature (-80℃), and is carrying out a pharmaceutical distribution business and a pharmaceutical logistics (3PL) business in the southern metropolitan area and Chungcheong area.

Last year, through a business alliance with M2 Cloud, it introduced a real-time vaccine-only temperature management system using IoT, storage in six distribution centers, and 150 vehicles dedicated to medicine.

What is worth noting here is that the temperature control system for vaccines has a’liquid temperature meter’ that can accurately check the temperature of the liquid, that is,’vaccine’.

It is not easy to install a thermometer in a vehicle dedicated to medicines because it is difficult to track the temperature of the existing liquid, but BoksanNice has enabled real-time management by connecting LTE and a thermometer.

In other words, by installing two thermometers that track air and liquid temperatures in a dedicated vehicle and each special box that holds the vaccine, they can safely and quickly supply medicines.

In addition, Boxan Nice has prepared a separate front room to prevent exposure of the vaccine to room temperature even in the moment.

Picture (clockwise from top) Pyeongtaek Logistics Center interior, cold chain container, automatic drug picking system

As vaccines easily deteriorate even with small temperature changes, careful management of all workers in charge of vaccines in all rooms is required. Accordingly, Boksannais manages vaccines under strict supervision, such as providing theoretical training on the overall system to workers on a regular basis.

Boksan Nice recognizes the importance of training employees who operate the cold chain system along with the logistics system, and translates PIC/S GDP, the European logistics system guideline, and uses them as materials for employee training.

In addition, Boksan Nice plans to actively introduce automation technology for various logistics processes in terms of future logistics innovation, such as piece picking.

Since the size of medicines has been different, we are preparing an automation technology to handle product boxes, overcoming the difficult limit of piece picking.

Tae-eung Um, Chairman of Boksan Nice, said, “Cold chain is a field that requires continuous infrastructure investment and technological improvement, and we plan to steadily proceed with the post-corona era in mind.” I will go out and work hard for the company’s mission,’Health and happy life for the people’.”