M2Cloud, Thales to develop IoT-based bio-cold chain systems – Technologist

South Korean pharmaceutical supply chain company M2Cloud has partnered with Thales Korea to develop  the next-generation bio-cold chain systems based on IoT.

Moving forward, the two companies will strengthen cooperation for product development optimised for bio-cold chains and global expansion, such as technology cooperation to develop bio-medicine monitoring IoT devices and to ensure a stable supply of IoT modules by combining industry-leading security and IoT technology.

“In 2022, we plan to develop and supply competitive products in cooperation with various overseas partner companies to enter the global market while stably supplying new products to the domestic bio/medicine cold chain market,” said Moon Jin-soo, CEO of M2cloud.

M2Cloud delivers scalable logistics and monitoring solutions for use by hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers in their supply chains. It owns the first IoT Security System in South Korea – certified by Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) – that satisfies all standards of IoT security testing such as stability, integrity, security and unauthorized manipulation defence.

Last year, the company established an integrated logistics system for COVID-19 with real-time visibility into the entire supply chain, ensuring integrity, proof of compliance to ensure product quality, IoT technology optimized for temperature sensitivity, and cloud technology for ESG practices.

M2 Cloud has also established and operated a cold chain system throughout the process of receiving, storing, and delivering COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca (refrigeration), Janssen (freezing), and Pfizer (ultra-low temperature), which are all biological agents.

New IoT-based LTE monitoring system

M2Cloud and Thales revealed their strategic partnership two weeks ago as they unveiled the first product of their collaboration – an IoT-based LTE monitoring system optimised for biopharmaceutical monitoring.

Unlike Bluetooth devices for near-field communication, the newly developed IoT cold chain system which is equipped with a low-power LTE communication chip, does not require additional gateway adoption or complex setups such as internet connectivity.

It can remotely check temperature and location information in real time by just turning the power on, making it suitable for real-time monitoring of refrigerators, refrigerated warehouses, etc., as well as tracking the delivery boxes being transported in real time.

In particular, because it ensures real-time visibility and data integrity, and can check temperature history without data loss in the event of a power outage or network failure, it  enhances the safety of pharmaceutical products with technologies optimised for biopharmaceutical management, such as vaccines that confirm the validity of products with a temperature history.

“For a quarter of a century, customers across all industries have trusted Thales’ industry-leading IoT solutions to seamlessly connect and secure IoT devices and to help them transform real-time data into efficient decision making. We are proud to work with M2cloud to help keep their cold chain monitoring and management solutions connected, and to contribute solutions that support the healthcare industry in Korea,” said Sandy Gillio, country director and chief executive,  Thales Korea.