We are marketing all our products globally: Samit Jain, MD, PLUSS

Pluss Advanced Technologies (PLUSS), has led the growth of energy storage materials across applications. Their proprietary Phase Change Material has gained wide acceptance in the pharmaceutical, logistics and food industries. The varied demands of the industry during Covid-19 has brought its technology into focus. Samit Jain, MD, PLUSS in conversation with Thomas C Thottathil discusses trends and outlines his plans for the business

  • October 25, 2021

What has been the response to the Celsure product that was launched in January this year to address the need of storing the Covid-19 vaccine at the right temperature?

Celsure as a product range has been around for the last three years. In January 2021, we were granted a patent by European Patent Office, Germany for “Celsure” box designed and manufactured using the proprietary Phase Change Material (PCM) technology. That more than 25% of vaccines get wasted every year, prompted us to work on an efficient and economical cold chain packaging solution. What has changed since Covid-19 is that the awareness around such technology products has amplified. Covid sample collection, RT-PCR-based kit distribution, and vaccine administration all need the right kind of cold chain, with as minimum misses as possible. Different Covid-19 vaccine candidates have different temperature storage and transport requirement. Three such prominent temperature requirements are  2-8 deg C, -20 deg C and -70 to -60 deg C. Over the last year, Celsure has been extensively used for all of these applications.

Celsure range solutions were used by testing laboratories for sample collection, by diagnostic companies for RT-PCR test kits, and by pharma and their distribution companies for vaccines and drugs like Remedisivir. We even developed a Dry Ice-free packaging for Sputnik V transportation at -20 deg C for over 100 hours. In our efforts to meet the growing demand, we also set up a state-of-the-art local conditioning facility in Hyderabad with the capacity to condition 15 tons of PCM every day.

What is the level of acceptance for your proprietary Phase Change Material solutions in the Indian market, because it's ideal in an Indian setting?

As much as we believed in the role of phase change materials, when we started with these materials in the late 2000s, the concept was very new for the Indian market. That prompted us to develop products and applications using our materials which were both innovative and impactful. We created a medical device for treating birth asphyxia, MiraCradle, which is the most accepted cooling device in its category. We developed the complete Celsure range, which has so far helped save over 50 mn vaccines from getting wasted. We also developed a box range for the food industry as PronGo. For the logistics industry, we offer PCM-based fuel-free refrigeration in reefer trucks and as many as 250-300 such reefer trucks are running on Indian roads. In addition, our products like Aagun food dryer and HimaCool Micro Cold Room are aligned towards minimizing food waste and maximizing farmers’ income. Today, we are working on solutions to increase energy efficiency in cold storage and for thermal management of Li-ion batteries in Electric Vehicles. So yes, we have come off far in creating a high level of acceptance of our technology.

How competitive is it when compared to traditional cooling methods adopted by the Indian pharma industry? Do costs play an important role in the buying process?

Costs continue to play an important role in India. This is exactly where PLUSS and Celsure are uniquely positioned. As an Indian manufacturer, we have attempted to bridge the affordability gap that existed between what customers in India were willing to pay and what it used to cost for the imported solutions. Celsure brings best in class temperature precision and efficiency at fraction of the cost of imported solutions.

However, against the traditional cooling methods, the outright purchase cost of Celsure solutions continue to be slightly higher. But that’s like looking at only 20% of the pharmaceutical logistics cost. More than 80% of the pharmaceutical logistics costs are partially hidden. While the purchase price is an easily identifiable criterion, analysis of the total cost of ownership through the life cycle of insulated packaging reveals that other ancillary costs can have a significant impact: costs such as those involved in freight based on size and weight of packaging, assembling time, mode of transport, not to mention the costs related to the risk of temperature deviation. For example, with Celsure we guarantee the temperature backup up to 120 hours (5 days); with such high backup, one can consider shifting away from air freight to surface freight and can potentially drive the overall costs lower. This is what we have driven with our customers in India- a promise of quality at an overall reduced cost.

 You have registered your patents in the USA and Europe. How has the business fared in those countries?

We have been providing our phase change materials to companies in the US and Europe. We have set up our subsidiary in Europe. We also have a partner in the USA to grow the market. There has been a surge in pharma transported related sales in both the geographies.

Can you share some data on MiraCradle and its acceptance in the Indian hospital segment? Are they also exported?

Over 650,000 newborns die of Birth Asphyxia every year, the second largest cause of newborn deaths. 90% of these deaths are in developing countries and amongst deliveries done in low-resource settings. Therapeutic hypothermia, that is, controlled cooling of babies at around 33 deg C is the only clinically proven method to treat asphyxiated babies.

However, devices available for the treatment cost more than US $ 25,000 and are unaffordable for healthcare centres in low-income regions. As an alternative, doctors used ice packs which are uncontrolled and inflict more damage on babies.

MiraCradle made cooling simpler, efficient and 10X more affordable. Based on our advanced Phase Change Material (PCM) technology, the device is safe, clinically validated, CE approved, non-electric and reusable.  Today, MiraCradle is amongst the most accepted device in its category in India and is installed at over 500 hospitals here. It is also being exported to some of the African countries like South Africa, Kenya, Malawi.

Sustainability has been the buzzword for some time and companies are looking for sustainable solutions. ESG reporting has become mandatory in India.  What has been your experience with companies in this regard, considering that your products are tailor-made to cater to this very need?

At Pluss, we have coded sustainability in our culture as “PLUSStaiability”- the ability to maintain the optimal rate or level to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations, the PLUSS way. Our experience with companies in this regard has, however, been mixed. While we have been held in good regard for our impact-creating products, the sales haven’t come any easy way. I would sum up to say that in India, we are still a few years away from foregoing immediate gains for long-term socially sustainable gains. But this change is imminent and we would continue to be around doing the work that we are committed to doing. Today, PLUSS is part of Carborundum Universal Ltd., a Murugappa Group company. The tagline is to #MakeMaterialsMatter! We aim to make materials that help in sustainability,

Do you have any tie-ups with any global agencies that would want to use your products in developing and poor countries?

We have recently developed and are launching Celsure freeze-free last-mile vaccine carrier for 2-8 deg C vaccines. This has been developed in collaboration with PATH and is designed according to WHO-recommended specifications for such carriers.  This carrier is aimed at supporting the vaccination drives being carried out in developing countries where the traditional ice pack-based vaccine carriers often put vaccines at the risk of freezing. We would market this product globally through multilateral organizations as well as reach our private partners in the low- and middle-income countries.

 Which are the new areas that you plan to focus on in your quest to bring differentiated products into the market?

Going forward, we wish to drive sustainability further with reusable solutions and work out innovative business models where these solutions can be leased out on pay per use basis. This, we believe, would be a huge step in the direction of not only controlling costs but also reducing the amount of waste that is being generated.

 

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