Background
Inadequate domestic capacity to keep goods at various levels of cold chain storage temperatures for biobanking, biorepository, pharmaceuticals, laboratory reagents and other purposes has hampered local medical and scientific research. Lack of local capacities due to these poor facilities required to sustain viable research in medicine, science, and genetics, has made our researchers to continue to grapple with so many issues. Funding gaps required to establish biorepository centers, cold storage and sustainable biobanking facilities to aid and ensure sustainable scientific data lifelines in our healthcare space have also become a more prominent issue both in the public healthcare space and the industry in general.
The era of the COVID pandemic exposed so many deficiencies. Nigeria’s capacity to receive and maintain Pfizer vaccines was without doubt insufficient. The stakeholders affirmed this position through many press releases in attempts to reassure COVAX about Nigeria’s readiness to receive and maintain ultra-cold chain goods like vaccines, biologicals, samples, etc. With the available capacity to store about 400,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, Nigeria was obviously not ready to stock the millions of doses required to provide herd immunity for the population. This challenge warranted the swap of Pfizer vaccines with AstraZeneca vaccines by the authorities.
Nigeria’s journey to becoming self-sufficient in vaccines and other pharmaceutical products might hit a preventable setback owing to this scarcely available infrastructure to handle various levels of cold and ambient storage. The road map should clearly include approaches to acquiring or outsourcing the necessary capacities for local industry sustainability, as well as encouraging our resourceful scholars to implement a successful scientific project locally.
Fig. 1: Display Screen of a Powered UCC Freezer:
Private Sector Came to The Rescue and Success Story
DCL enthusiastically accepted the challenge of contributing her quota to the national emergence response against COVID-19 by heavily investing in outsourced dry and cold temperature facilities. The drive to provide the services was fueled by the company’s patient safety policy, a social intervention drive, and an opportunity to show that it is possible to see a private sector collaboration with government to establish and improve local content.
Certain preparations were made with the FGN and an international agency in Nigeria sometime in 2022 through a private sector-driven initiative to host over 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccines properly stored at -80°C, ranging from one month to over six months. Adequate storage conditions were adopted, the power infrastructure was enhanced, backup and safety arrangements were solid from the beginning till date. With stringently developed protocols and real-time and remote monitoring capabilities, no adverse event was recorded anytime during the storage and distribution cycles.
Objectives of DCL outsourced Warehouse Facilities
- Security and sample integrity: there is a clear understanding and common direction to ensure sample integrity and security during the period of its storage. The integrity of samples guarantees the success of diagnostic , research, biobanking and biorepository projects. DCL chose to help midwife this service and sustain locally bred medical and scientific research through her 3PL services.
- Provision of cold chain storage: DCL offers unique product portfolios covering all ranges and services either for outsourced storage or acquiring the required items that guarantee integrity and proper sample preservation.
- We have the unparalleled capacity and experience to design, implement physical or software requirements for state-of-the-art outsourced UCC warehouses and other storage conditions, and manage the same using the best inventory management skills acquired over the years of service.
Justification
Availability of cold and ambient storage facilities through a private sector driven initiative shall enhance home bred scientific and medical researches as well as attract grants that depends on this type of facility to survive. Other storage needs for pharma, biopahram or biotech shall be met without loosing sleep.
Warehouse operational Approach
- Our approach shall be to deploy available facilities to exclude unauthorized persons access through use of CCTV, access control etc.
- Continuous stock monitoring through designated staff and security patrol in the premises shall be a routine and deliberate actions.
- Our installed safety equipment’s, warehouse infrastructure etc., shall be fully functional, routinely checked, calibrated etc.
- Order processing (inbound or outbound) shall be se seamlessly executed using our forklifts, pallet trolleys, and other documentation infrastructure including our WMS through ERP.
- Our physical facilities shall be adequately maintained, cleaned, and routinely checked.
- Fumigation, rodenticides shall be incorporated in a prescribed timeline.
- In the event of force majeure, we have made adequate plans to ensure nothing is left to chance. Our facilities have been assessed for risk by insurance experts, and if therefore are adequately covered with public liability insurance fire & special perils insurance and more.
Existing Physical, Structural Characteristics and Description Of Warehouse Facilities
Location:
DCL Warehouses Idu industrial layout is an existing structure located at Idu industrial layout Jabi on longitude 9.035335″N, and latitude 7.395144″E respectively.
Proximity:
DCL warehouse facility is approximately 16.9KM from Central business district, Abuja. The facility location is approximately 9KM from federal fire service headquarter, Abuja, approximately 34.9KM from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, approximately 8.9KM from Jabi police station and less than 4Km to the nearest fire mobile station.
External Structure:
The building structural facilities occupy a total land mass of approximately 34,578.95 square meter (113,448 square feet) having about two major buildings and structures which occupies approximately 5637.58 square meter (18,496 square feet) with other building being security building. The external ground floor is cemented.
Pictures of the Warehouse Buildings:
i. Water
DCL warehouse facility has a 12,000 liters water storage system which ensure constant water supply for use by the staff and fire hydrant installation.
ii. Building Capacity (Internal Structure)
DCL Warehouse facility is made up of 2 buildings tagged.
a. Warehouse 1(contains 2 units of walk-in cold tooms, 60 ULT Freezers, up to 100 2-8 degrees refrigerator, dry storage areas, etc)
b. Warehouse 2( dry storage areas, ULT freezers, etc)
Each warehouse occupies a total landmass of 5,305.96 square meter (17,408 square feet) with a volumetric capacity of 71,630.44 m3 (235,008 cubic feet) each.
iii. Warehouse 1
This occupies a total landmass of 5,305.96 square meter. It is divided into Ground floor and Second floor. The first floor houses the power room, administrative office, Maintenance unit, storeroom and two walk-in cold rooms and of extra space of approximately 2,264.61 square meter. The second floor houses the CCTV/surveillance room and a storage space of approximately 5,010.92 square meter. This is also equipped with a rack storage system.
iv. Warehouse 2
DCL warehouse 2 is adjacent to the warehouse 1 and shares the same structural building.
v. Temperature Control System (A/C and HVAC system)
DCL warehouse facility has HVAC system installed to make the internal structure conducive and under control.
Arrangements of Facilities (Freezers, Cold Rooms Inside the Warehouse):
vi. Rack and Rack Specifications
Both warehouses use metallic rack system where necessary. There are currently 16 Racks with a dimension of 7ft 9inches each.
Picture of Goods Arranged In Racks:
vii. Site Drainage
The facility is equipped with good drainage system. Rainwater is collected and channeled through ducts to public drainage system.
viii. Power
DCL warehouse facility has a dedicated 300KVA step down power transformer installed solely for the DCL warehouse facility and a 350KVA standby power generating set. All power equipment and facilities within the DCL warehouse facility is connected via three separate 80KVA online inverter system with automatic power transfer capability. All these ensure that power supply to power equipment and facilities are always constant.
Picture of Power Infrastructure at the Warehouse:
ix. Communication
• DCL warehouse facility is easily accessible due to good road networks. In terms of telecommunication network, all major telecommunication network providers have good network signals both for voice and data.
• ERP software
An ERP is a full-featured business management solution that helps businesses to record all their business transactions in a single system. With ERP systems, businesses can make informed, fact-based, timely decisions to remain ahead in the competition. It serves as the backbone of a business adding strength, transparency, and control to any growing enterprise. For most businesses that deal in physical goods like DCL Laboratory Products, inventory management is a key business function. Our ERP system makes it much easier to gain complete control of our inventory. We can:
o Maintain details of our products and warehouses.
o Track receipt, transfer, and delivery of the products.
o Optimize stock levels by providing real-time information via reports.
o Provide the valuation of each product.
This helps to avoid inventory skipping, manage quality inspection, pricing, create and maintain variations of items, virtual warehouses, serialization, batching, etc. and ensure the supply chain and logistics department runs smoothly. The inventory module is also tightly integrated with purchase, sales, and accounting modules. All inventory reports, picklists orders, shipments, pallet utilization are entered and logged into the ERP system. All data pertaining to product information such as description, serial numbers, dosage, batch, product status (e.g expiry, recalls), and supply chain location and movement (e.g., receiving date, storage location, dispatched location) are collected and the information can be easily extracted for visibility, traceability (especially if reverse logistics are required for returns or recalls), and product security (to address theft and diversion).
x. Material Handling Equipment and tools
DCL warehouse facility is equipped with modern material handling equipment for heavy material movement. These includes trolleys, pallet jacks, forklifts, cold boxes etc.
Pictures of Material Handling Equipment and Tools at DCL Warehouse:
xi. Security System and CCTV
DCL warehouse facility is equipped with modern fire safety equipment and facilities such as fire hydrant and fire detection system. Also, CCTV surveillance system is also installed to capture activities within and outside the building. There are also 24/7 standby security personnel who helps to control human activities and, carry out other security tasks.
Conclusion
DCL Laboratory Products Ltd has acquired these capacities for your local needs for varieties of medical and scientific items storage, please contact us immediately if have you needs to store your samples, vaccines, reagents and kits, drugs, etc.
Details are as follows.
DCL Laboratory Products Ltd, DCL House, Plot 1299,
Funmilayo Ransome Kuti Road, Area 3, Garki, Abuja.
P.M.B 690 Garki, Abuja, Nigeria.
T: +2348166717574
email: uandrew@dcllabx.com
Url: www.dcllabx.com