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Family-owned freezer company suddenly key part of COVID vaccine supply chain
Brian Hamrick
Reporter
Family-owned freezer company suddenly key part of COVID vaccine supply chain
WELL A LOCAL COMPANY HERE IN EVENDALE IS USING THESE METAL CABINETS AND WELL A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER PARTS TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE VACCINE AGAINST COVID NOT EVEN WETTER AND SOME OF THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES ON T PLANET ARE IN EVENDALE - 91 CELSIUS THAT’S COLDER. A HUNDRED AND THIRTY DEGREES BELOW ZERO FAHRENHEIT COLD ENOUGH TO FREEZE A COKE CAN SOLID IN LESS THAN EIGHT MINUTES. WHAT’S HOT IS THE DEMAND FOR THESE SUPER COLD FREEZERS. NORMALLY OUR BUSINESS IS A LOT OF ONESIE TWOSIE ORDERS. WE’RE GETTING ORDERS 45042 HUNDRED AND TEN. DAN HENSLER IS ENVIRONMENTAL EQUIPMENT. IT’S RUN BUSINESS WITH ABOUT 50 EMPLOYEES NOW TAKING ORDERS FROM LOWE’S AND RITE AID THERE ON THE GLOBAL STAGE BECAUSE THEY’RE ONE OF A VERY FEW MAKING THE FREEZERS THAT CAN STORE THE MOST PROMISING COVID VACCINE FROM PFIZER AT MINUS 70 DEGREES CELSIUS THAT’ NEGATIVE. NINETY FOUR FAHRENHEIT. NO ONE IN THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW HAS CAPACITY, YOU KNOW, THERE’S A WORLDWI OF FREEZING. THIS IS OUR LEADING FARMING AREA DAN SHOWS US A PROCESS OF MAKING THESE THERMOMETER SHIVERING FREEZER. WHERE THE METAL BOXES MAD TO THE WAY THE COMPONENTS ARE ASSEMBLED. THIS IS LIKE A BIG LEGOS PROJECT. YEAH, EXACTLY. NO ONE COULD HAVE GUESSED THAT THE KEY TO A VACCINATION DISTRIBUTION PLAN WOULD INCLUDE SUPER COLD FREEZERS. NOT EVEN THOSE THAT THE FAMILY RU BUSINESS THAT MAKES THEM. GOOD ABOUT BEING PART OF THIS WHOLE SOLUTION THAT I ABSOLUTELY I MEAN WE DEFINITELY FEEL LIKE WE’RE HELPING OUT. SO CREWS WORK SATURDAYS AND OVERTIME TO KEEP UP WITH THE HIGH DEMAND. THESE SQUARE BOXES THAT ARE COLDER THAN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE NOW SOME OF THESE FREEZERS ARE GOING TO HOSPITALS OTHERS ARE GOING TO LAST BUT ALL OF THEM ARE TESTED HERE FOR SEVEN DAYS JUST TO MAKE SURE THERE WILL BE NO MALFUNCTION WHEN THEY COME OUT OF
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Family-owned freezer company suddenly key part of COVID vaccine supply chain
Brian Hamrick
Reporter
An Ohio company has moved to the front lines of the effort to distribute potential COVID-19 vaccines across the globe because of a unique product they make – a freezer.“Normally, our business is onesie or twosie orders. We’re getting orders for 50, 40, 210…” said Dan Hensler, vice president of So-Low Environmental Equipment.The freezers So-Low makes aren’t exactly the kind in most kitchens.The So-Low freezers reach temperatures of -91 Celsius or -130 Fahrenheit.The freezers have skyrocketed in demand because the Pfizer vaccine must be kept at -70 Celsius or -94 Fahrenheit. This week, Pfizer announced its vaccine tested 90% effective against COVID in trials. 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Moderna's potential COVID-19 vaccine, which is 94.5% effective, can be kept at -20 degrees Celsius or -4 degrees Fahrenheit.“No one in the United States has the capacity. There’s a worldwide shortage of freezers,” Hensler said.So-Low has about 50 employees who have been working overtime and on Saturdays to keep up with demand.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The family-owned company was founded in 1959 on a site near where Riverfront Stadium would later be built.The 95-year-old founder still reports to work daily.Hensley recognized that it’s not every day that a company making freezers steps into the national spotlight for an effort that can help the nation.“No, but we’re glad that we can help,” Hensley said.
CINCINNATI —

An Ohio company has moved to the front lines of the effort to distribute potential COVID-19 vaccines across the globe because of a unique product they make – a freezer.

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“Normally, our business is onesie or twosie orders. We’re getting orders for 50, 40, 210…” said Dan Hensler, vice president of So-Low Environmental Equipment.

The freezers So-Low makes aren’t exactly the kind in most kitchens.

The So-Low freezers reach temperatures of -91 Celsius or -130 Fahrenheit.

The freezers have skyrocketed in demand because the Pfizer vaccine must be kept at -70 Celsius or -94 Fahrenheit. This week, Pfizer announced its vaccine tested 90% effective against COVID in trials.

Moderna's potential COVID-19 vaccine, which is 94.5% effective, can be kept at -20 degrees Celsius or -4 degrees Fahrenheit.

“No one in the United States has the capacity. There’s a worldwide shortage of freezers,” Hensler said.

So-Low has about 50 employees who have been working overtime and on Saturdays to keep up with demand.

The family-owned company was founded in 1959 on a site near where Riverfront Stadium would later be built.

The 95-year-old founder still reports to work daily.

Hensley recognized that it’s not every day that a company making freezers steps into the national spotlight for an effort that can help the nation.

“No, but we’re glad that we can help,” Hensley said.