Chinese Government provides $33 million grant to the Government of Egypt for Automated and Refrigerated Vaccine Storage Complex Construction Project

In April 2020, Sinovac Biotech Ltd., (SINOVAC) — a private Chinese biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization of vaccines that protect against human infectious diseases — and Egypt’s Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) signed a cooperation agreement for joint vaccine production.

Under the terms of the agreement, the parties agreed that Sinovac vaccines would be locally manufactured in VACSERA’s factory in Egypt, with the final product carrying the VACSERA-Sinovac label.

Then, in January 2021, Sinovac and VACSERA signed a cooperation agreement to establish a cold storage facility for vaccine storage and preservation in Egypt with approximately $33 million of grant funding for the Chinese Government.

The parties subsequently signed a tripartite agreement with China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. (CSCEC) for the Automated and Refrigerated Vaccine Storage Complex Construction Project.

The purpose of the project was to construct a fully-automated cold storage facility in VACSERA’s new factory complex in Giza’s 6th of October City.

The cooling complex is built on area of 3,180 square meters, with a capacity to produce 100-150 million doses of vaccine annually.

The new facility comprises two cooling rooms at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius over an area of ​​​​661 square meters and nine meters high each. The rooms are designated for the storage of vaccines.

It also includes three areas for receiving refrigerated trucks, loading and unloading shipments as well as a compartment for checking and recording shipment data, and a freezing room at a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius for storing the analysis materials.

In addition, the complex includes a storage zone over an area of ​​290 square meters, and a height of 3.45 meters for storing the ready-to-pack bales at a temperature of 2-8 degrees. The storage zone is completely separated from the final product storage area.

Each cold room is controlled via a dual cooling system; one for use and another as a backup, with the complex's control and monitoring room containing screens to monitor the vaccine transfer process and monitor temperatures as well as an alarm system and fire extinguishing system.

The complex is managed automatically without any human intervention in using the warehouse management system WMS, which controls the storage of vaccines in a way that improves work efficiency and organizes storage spaces. CSCEC was the contractor responsible for project implementation. Construction began in April 2022 and the project completion (handover) ceremony took place on September 24, 2022.