PHARMACEUTICAL & MEDICAL COLD STORAGE
Pharmaceutical & Medical Cold Rooms
Temperature-sensitive medicines, pharmaceutical products and medical supplies require controlled storage conditions and reliable refrigeration.
Africhill designs and manufactures temperature-controlled cold rooms and refrigeration systems for pharmaceutical, healthcare, laboratory and medical-storage facilities throughout South Africa and Africa.
Each system can be designed around the required temperature range, storage capacity, product load, operating conditions and project specification.
Request a Quote Send Us Your Specification
Get a Pharmaceutical Cold Room Quote
Tell us what products you need to store, the required temperature range and your project requirements.
SPECIFICATION-LED DESIGN
Temperature-Controlled Storage Designed Around the Specification
Pharmaceutical and medical cold storage is not simply a conventional cold room used for a different product.
Required storage conditions, temperature tolerances, monitoring requirements, refrigeration redundancy, electrical backup and project documentation can be significantly more demanding.
Africhill therefore starts with the customer’s product requirements and technical specification before designing the insulated room and refrigeration system.
SPECIFICATION FIRST. SYSTEM DESIGN SECOND.
START WITH
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What storage conditions must the room maintain?
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How much pharmaceutical or medical product must be stored?
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What recording, alarm or monitoring requirements apply?
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Does the project require backup refrigeration or power?
PHARMACEUTICAL & HEALTHCARE APPLICATIONS
Cold Storage for Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Applications
Pharmaceutical Products
Temperature-controlled storage for suitable medicines and pharmaceutical products according to specified storage requirements.
Medical Products
Controlled-temperature rooms for temperature-sensitive medical products and supplies.
Pharmaceutical Warehousing
Larger cold rooms supporting pharmaceutical storage and distribution operations.
Hospitals & Healthcare
Purpose-built temperature-controlled storage incorporated into healthcare facilities.
Laboratories
Cold-storage rooms designed around specified laboratory storage requirements.
Distribution Centres
Larger temperature-controlled rooms supporting pharmaceutical and medical supply chains.
Research Facilities
Custom rooms designed according to project-specific temperature requirements.
Veterinary Products
Temperature-controlled storage for suitable veterinary medicines and products according to manufacturer requirements.
REFRIGERATION DESIGN
The Product Specification Determines the Cold Room
Different pharmaceutical and medical products can have different permitted storage conditions. Africhill therefore needs the required temperature range and technical specification before the refrigeration system is selected.
PRODUCT → REQUIRED TEMPERATURE RANGE → STORAGE CAPACITY → PRODUCT LOAD → DOOR TRAFFIC → MONITORING → REDUNDANCY → REFRIGERATION DESIGN
Product Requirements
Temperature Range
Storage Capacity
Product Load
Door Traffic
Monitoring
Redundancy
Operating Environment
TEMPERATURE STABILITY
Temperature Stability Matters
For temperature-sensitive products, simply reaching the required room temperature is not enough. The refrigeration system needs to maintain the specified conditions throughout normal operation.
Door openings, incoming product, product temperature, staff movement, equipment, lighting, insulation, refrigeration capacity, airflow and ambient temperature can all influence conditions inside the room.
Africhill designs the insulated enclosure and refrigeration system as one temperature-controlled solution.
REFRIGERATION CAPACITY
Refrigeration Capacity Is Not Based on Floor Area Alone
Two pharmaceutical cold rooms with identical dimensions can require different refrigeration systems.
A room receiving products that are already temperature controlled may have a very different refrigeration load from an identical room receiving larger quantities of warmer product several times per day.
ROOM SIZE + PRODUCT LOAD + OPERATING CONDITIONS = REFRIGERATION REQUIREMENT
PURPOSE-BUILT COLD ROOMS
Purpose-Built Temperature-Controlled Rooms
Africhill manufactures insulated panels and temperature-controlled rooms in South Africa. This allows each room to be manufactured around the required storage capacity and available facility space.
Depending on the project specification, rooms can incorporate insulated walls and ceilings, temperature-controlled doors, internal partitions, multiple storage areas, refrigeration systems, temperature controls and provisions for monitoring and alarms.
ROOM CONFIGURATION
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Manufactured around the available facility space and required capacity.
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Separate storage areas can be incorporated where required.
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Provision can be made according to the project specification.
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Alarm requirements should be established during the design stage.
MULTIPLE STORAGE CONDITIONS
Different Products May Require Different Storage Areas
A pharmaceutical or medical facility may handle products with different specified storage conditions. Where those requirements differ, separate temperature-controlled rooms can be incorporated into the same facility.
RECEIVING → TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED STORAGE A / STORAGE B / OTHER SPECIFIED STORAGE → PICKING / DISPATCH
Africhill can work from the customer’s warehouse or facility layout to integrate multiple temperature-controlled rooms into the operation.
AIRFLOW & STORAGE LAYOUT
Airflow & Product Layout Matter
The refrigeration system needs to circulate conditioned air effectively through the room. Poor product placement or restricted airflow can influence temperature distribution.
Room planning should consider shelving, racking, pallet positions, product stacking, aisles, evaporator position, air circulation and door position.
The refrigeration system and storage layout should be planned together.
TEMPERATURE MONITORING
Temperature Monitoring & Alarms
Temperature monitoring can be an important requirement in pharmaceutical and healthcare cold storage.
Where required by the project specification, the system design can make provision for temperature monitoring and alarm equipment.
The required monitoring specification should be established before equipment is selected.
POSSIBLE REQUIREMENTS
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Continuous temperature recording or data logging where specified.
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Alarm requirements can be incorporated into the agreed scope.
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Remote alarm requirements should be defined in the specification.
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Integration requirements should be identified during the design stage.
REFRIGERATION REDUNDANCY
What Happens if a Refrigeration System Fails?
Where high-value or critical temperature-sensitive products are stored, refrigeration failure can create significant product and operational risk.
For appropriate projects, Africhill can assess refrigeration redundancy as part of the system design.
REDUNDANCY REQUIREMENTS
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Backup refrigeration configurations can be assessed where required.
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Multiple systems may form part of the specified design.
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Alarm requirements can form part of the agreed project scope.
BACKUP POWER
Plan for Power Interruptions
A refrigeration system cannot maintain controlled storage indefinitely without electrical power. Where uninterrupted temperature control is critical, backup electrical supply should form part of the overall facility design.
Planning may need to consider generator supply, automatic changeover, available generator capacity, refrigeration starting current, control systems, monitoring systems and alarms.
Electrical backup requirements should be coordinated with the customer’s electrical engineer or project team.
INDUSTRIAL PHARMACEUTICAL STORAGE
Pharmaceutical Warehouse & Distribution Cold Rooms
Large pharmaceutical warehouses and distribution facilities can require significantly more temperature-controlled capacity than conventional walk-in cold rooms.
Africhill can design around pallet capacity, racking layout, warehouse dimensions, daily product throughput, door traffic, loading schedules, monitoring requirements, redundancy requirements and future expansion.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INPUTS
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Required refrigerated storage capacity and racking layout.
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Quantity and temperature of product entering the facility.
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Door traffic and operating schedules influence refrigeration duty.
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Additional capacity can be considered during planning.
NEW FACILITIES & EXPANSIONS
Planning a New Pharmaceutical or Healthcare Facility?
Africhill can work from architectural drawings, consultant layouts, warehouse layouts, technical specifications, BOQs and tender documents.
Early involvement allows room dimensions, panel construction, doors, refrigeration equipment, electrical requirements, monitoring, alarms, backup refrigeration, backup power and storage layouts to be coordinated before construction.
Already have a technical specification? Send it to Africhill.
PROJECT DOCUMENTS
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Required temperatures, tolerances, monitoring and other project requirements.
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Room dimensions and available facility space.
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Racking, access and temperature-controlled areas.
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Africhill can assess defined project requirements.
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
Designed to the Project Requirements
Pharmaceutical and healthcare projects may be subject to specific regulatory, quality-management and validation requirements.
Africhill can design the temperature-controlled room and refrigeration system around the technical requirements provided by the customer, consultant or project specification.
Any required qualification, validation, temperature mapping, certification or regulatory documentation should be identified during the quotation stage so the required scope and responsibilities can be established.
VALIDATION & MAPPING
Temperature Mapping & Qualification Requirements
Some pharmaceutical facilities require documented evidence that the storage area performs within specified temperature limits throughout the usable storage space.
Where temperature mapping, qualification or validation is required, this should be identified in the project specification so responsibilities and documentation can be established before quotation.
These requirements should be defined before the project scope is finalised.
PROJECT EXAMPLE
Temperature-Controlled Project Experience
The project below is an example of Africhill’s experience manufacturing specialised temperature-controlled environments. Pharmaceutical and medical cold rooms are designed separately around their specific product, temperature and project requirements.
AFRICA-WIDE SUPPLY
Made in South Africa. Built for African Conditions.
Africhill manufactures insulated cold rooms in South Africa and supplies temperature-controlled refrigeration solutions to pharmaceutical, medical and healthcare projects throughout Africa.
System design can consider high ambient temperatures, electrical reliability, backup power, remote locations, transport logistics, equipment serviceability and local installation requirements.
AFRICAN PROJECT FACTORS
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Equipment should be selected around the project environment.
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Main and backup electrical requirements should be established early.
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Long-term access to technical support should form part of project planning.
WHY AFRICHILL
Why Choose Africhill for Pharmaceutical Cold Storage?
Experience Since 1998
More than 25 years of temperature-controlled room and refrigeration experience.
South African Manufacturer
Insulated panels and temperature-controlled rooms manufactured in South Africa.
Custom Engineering
Rooms designed around specified temperature and storage requirements.
Commercial & Industrial
From walk-in rooms to larger pharmaceutical storage facilities.
Refrigeration Redundancy
Backup refrigeration configurations can be assessed where required.
Monitoring Provisions
Monitoring and alarm requirements can be incorporated into the project specification.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Pharmaceutical & Medical Cold Room FAQs
Practical answers about pharmaceutical cold rooms, monitoring, refrigeration redundancy and technical specifications.
For more detail, read our guide on cold rooms in the pharmaceutical industry.
What temperature should a pharmaceutical cold room operate at?
There is no single temperature suitable for every pharmaceutical or medical product. Required storage conditions should be obtained from the product requirements or project specification and the cold room designed accordingly.
Can Africhill build pharmaceutical cold rooms?
Yes. Africhill manufactures insulated temperature-controlled rooms and refrigeration systems that can be designed around specified pharmaceutical and medical storage requirements.
Can Africhill build large pharmaceutical warehouse cold rooms?
Yes. Africhill can design commercial and industrial temperature-controlled rooms around pallet capacity, room dimensions, product throughput and project requirements.
Can the refrigeration system have backup equipment?
Yes. Where required, redundant refrigeration configurations can be assessed as part of the project design.
Can the cold room have temperature alarms?
Temperature monitoring and alarm requirements can be incorporated according to the project specification and agreed supply scope.
Can Africhill provide temperature monitoring?
Monitoring requirements should be specified during the design stage so suitable equipment and the required scope can be determined.
Can Africhill provide a GMP-compliant cold room?
Africhill can manufacture the insulated room and refrigeration system around the technical requirements contained in the customer’s project specification. Where GMP, qualification, validation or other regulatory requirements apply, the required standards, documentation and responsibilities must be defined before quotation.
Can Africhill work from consultant specifications?
Yes. Africhill can review architectural drawings, technical specifications, BOQs and tender documentation.
Does Africhill supply pharmaceutical cold rooms outside South Africa?
Yes. Africhill manufactures in South Africa and supplies temperature-controlled solutions to projects throughout Africa.
REQUEST A QUOTATION
Planning a Pharmaceutical or Medical Cold Room?
Send Africhill your required storage conditions and project specification. For larger facilities, include your architectural or warehouse layout so the complete requirement can be assessed.
USEFUL PROJECT INFORMATION
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Required temperature range and tolerance where specified.
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Room dimensions, pallet capacity and daily product load.
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Tell us what alarm, logging, backup refrigeration or power requirements apply.
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Upload drawings, technical specifications, BOQs or tender documents.
Send Us Your Specification
If you already have a pharmaceutical storage specification, consultant document, BOQ or facility layout, include it with your enquiry.