Gricd, a cold chain technology company that uses the Internet of Things (IoT) to enable last-mile delivery of temperature-sensitive products, has partnered with Haultrac, one of Nigeria’s leading logistics companies, to support the delivery of essential healthcare commodities to all 36 states of the country, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on behalf of USAID.
The partnership is an indefinite quantity agreement that includes the delivery of commodities such as medicines, rapid diagnostic test kits, laboratory reagents and consumables, as well as other related health and non-health commodities across the country. Gricd’s cutting edge technology will be leveraged to ensure that these commodities reach their final destinations in their most effective state and the startup will work with Haultrac, USAID and other partners to support the storage and transportation of agreed commodities between agreed locations.
Using Gricd’s Real-Time Data Loggers and Enterprise Monitoring Software, all parties will be able to guarantee the quality of these commodities during storage, transit and distribution to the end-user. The partnership will also include long haul and last-mile delivery of commodities dispatched and received from central and regional warehouses to cold storage facilities in Abuja, Jos, Ogba (Lagos State) and Oshodi (Lagos State), as well as from regional distribution centres to health facilities or other designated service delivery points supported by USAID.
Commenting on the partnership, Oghenetega Iortim, CEO and founder of Gricd, said “Inability to keep temperature-sensitive medical commodities within required temperature range leads to waste of life-saving medication, sometimes loss of life. We are excited to be working with Haultrac and USAID to ensure the safe delivery of these essential commodities across Nigeria and make it easier for all parties to do business with confidence.
Segun Adeoye, CEO of Haultrac also said that “Transporting temperature-sensitive commodities over long distances in a country like Nigeria can present many challenges. However, with real-time monitoring, we can move these commodities with confidence and take proactive steps to reduce wastage and maximise the value of these commodities.” Gricd offers a range of IoT-enabled solutions that deliver reliable and consistent temperature monitoring and data logging, especially during storage, transit and distribution of temperature-sensitive products such as vaccines, insulin and food. By enabling automated, real-time monitoring, Gricd makes it easier to guarantee the safety and security of products and assets. The startup already works with some of the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers and food companies in Nigeria and across Africa to monitor the quality of food and pharmaceuticals, supporting them to realise more than $193 million in savings and successfully monitoring more than 12 million temperature-sensitive items.