An innovative
‘Warehouse-ina-
Box' solution is
gaining traction
in Africa, with Abidjan, the
capital of Côte d'Ivoire, the
latest recipient.
A unique answer to
Africa’s supply chain
challenge, the concept was
developed by Imperial
Logistics group company,
Resolve, through its division
Resolve Capacity.
The contract for Côte
d'Ivoire was awarded in July
2014 to Imperial Health
Sciences, for which Resolve
Capacity is a service provider,
and was implemented in
Côte d'Ivoire on behalf
of New Public Health
Pharmacy (NPSP), the
organisation responsible
for the distribution of
pharmaceutical products for
public health institutions
operated by the country’s
Ministry of Health.
Along with its partners
Turnkey Infrastructure
Solutions, Resolve Capacity
implemented its modular
infrastructure solution for
this $5.8-million, 4 095-sqm
warehouse project, which
includes administration
facilities.
“We broke ground
in October 2014, and
were pleased to hand the
warehouse over to NPSP in
January 2016,” said Arno
Haigh, managing executive
at Resolve Capacity. This new
warehouse will significantly
enhance the pharmaceutical
distribution network in Côte
d'Ivoire, as well as storage
capacity for the distribution
of quality medicines.
The construction of the
prefabricated warehouse was
the result of joint funding by
the United States Agency for
International Development
(USAID) and the Global
Fund for the Fight against
tuberculosis,
AIDS and
malaria.
The new
warehouse
in Abidjan
will allow for
significantly
increased
pharmaceutical
compliant
storage
capacity,
and will help
streamline the
provision of
HIV/AIDS-related and other
health products. The number
of people on antiretroviral
therapy is increasing rapidly,
which means an increased
requirement for drugs and
supplies for screening,
clinical laboratory testing
and support.
Storage therefore needs
to be increased at a national
level, and this warehouse
will allow
the NPSP to
better organise
its storage
system and
distribution
to ensure
continuous
availability
of essential
medicines,
according to
Haigh.
“Many
African
countries
struggle with supply
chain infrastructure, and
warehousing in particular,”
he added. “Existing
warehouses are not effective,
with shortcomings in
racking and cooling systems
in particular. Warehousein-
a-Box™ brings a unique
solution to countries that
need support in their
healthcare initiatives, helping
overcome infrastructure
challenges and improving
supply chains.”
The design enables
the rapid commission
and installation of a
pharmaceutical-grade and
compliant prefabricated
warehouse with all the
componentry required to
deliver a total solution, packed
and ready for delivery in 40-ft
containers. “It addresses lack
of supply chain infrastructure,
limited storage space and
lack of quality storage
facilities," he added.
Suitable for both urban and
rural settings, the standards
and operational benchmarks
are aligned with international
supply chain principles.
INSERT
This new warehouse
will significantly
enhance the
pharmaceutical
distribution network in
Côte d'Ivoire.
– Arno Haigh
CAPTION
The new facility in Abidjan ... providing storage capacity for quality medicines.
