Sofrigam acquisition of Coldway opens up new technology avenues

Rueil Malmaison, France: – Temperature-controlled logistics and pharmaceutical cold chain packaging specialist Sofrigam S.A. has announced that it is acquiring Coldway, the innovative French concern that manufactures self-contained refrigeration solutions.

Coldway was placed into receivership at the end of June 2018.

The new company formed from this alliance will be known as Coldway Technologies. Its activity will be concentrated on the development and deployment of Coldway organic heating and cooling energy technology among businesses involved with logistics and final mile delivery, healthcare and food processing.

New ambitions

“By virtue of this acquisition, Sofrigam is demonstrating its dynamism and its new ambitions,” said Sofrigam Chairman and Managing Director, Gilles Labranque.

“Coldway’s technology will provide technical prowess and innovation for use in Sofrigam’s range of packaging solutions, with the ecological dimension so favoured by Sofrigam,” Mr. Labranque continued.

Coldway technology leveraged by Sofrigam expertise

Coldway’s innovative technology makes it possible to produce heating or cooling energy based on elementary thermochemical reaction between ammonia and salts. Using a natural coolant that does not adversely affect the ozone layer, without consumables, but also, more importantly, without the continuous use of external energy sources, it is capable of creating cold conditions in a totally self-contained manner for up to 60 hours. With neither a motor nor a compressor, the system is silent, ecologically sound, low-maintenance and is not subject to wear.

Sofrigam became acquainted with this technology when the two companies collaborated in 2016 in order to develop a range of refrigerating containers featuring Coldway technology.

Business synergies

The 16 Coldway staff employed at Pia, near Perpignan, will keep their jobs with the company. They are joining the staff of the various entities of the Sofrigam Group, including the head office at Rueil Malmaison and the production plant, covering 16,000m2, at Monchy-le-Preux, near Arras.

“We wanted to purchase Coldway for two reasons: the potential for business synergies and the desire to keep Coldway’s technologies in France” explained Gilles Labranque.

“The acquisition of Coldway and the development of packaging solutions employing its ground-breaking technology represent a tremendous opportunity for innovation with the prospect of new markets,” said Mr. Labranque.

“The takeover of Coldway is in line with the continuity of our drive to promote the concept of ‘Made in France’, together with the aspects of progress, technology and expertise traditionally associated with it. The prospects for innovation and growth are very encouraging and we are really enthusiastic about forthcoming projects,” the Sofrigam chairman added.

Sofrigam specializes in the design and manufacture of insulated packaging for safeguarding the transportation, within the cold chain, of products from the pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnological and even cosmetic industries.

Renowned for its considerable technical prowess and its incomparable levels of quality, the Group is demonstrating its ambitions in terms of both innovation and moving into new markets.

A partnership between Coldway and Ligier Professional, a manufacturer of small commercial vehicles, with the aim of creating electric vehicles equipped with self-contained refrigerated compartments, is an example of the new prospects available to Sofrigam.

About Sofrigam

With over 40 years of experience, Sofrigam provide a comprehensive portfolio of innovative packaging and related solutions that allow pharmaceutical and other clients to optimize their temperature-controlled logistic chains.

From its French roots, Sofrigam has become a global company, operating in the USA, Canada, UK and across Europe, with manufacturing centers in North America and Europe.

Sofrigam manufactures a range of standard and made-to-measure thermal packaging products, including cartons, cases, bags and pouches that cover every step in the cool chain, from manufacturer to end-user.

It also offers customized services designed to achieve secure, cost effective and ecological cold chain logistics in shipping, storage and packaging.

Sofrigam Services accompany clients through every step of the logistics chain while prioritizing safety of goods and reducing costs. Advanced software and other solutions allow clients to audit their cold chains, monitor shipments, analyze logistics lanes, manage Inventory and optimize ordering.

Sofrigam can also deliver best Time to Market through thermal simulation equipment combined with its ‘cut & glue’ customization process that gives customers the ability to adapt any catalog product to its own needs with development time reduced to as little as 15 days.

About Coldway

The innovative French company Coldway was created in 2001 to commercialize latent temperature energy technology transferred from the CNRS [National Centre for Scientific Research].

Coldway’s innovations, based on the storage and use of energy in the cold chain. finally make it possible to produce cooling or heating energy that can be stored and made available on demand, regardless of available power sources.

The originality of this invention, the subject of international patents, resides in a self-contained process that does not require continuous use of external energy while being mobile and reusable, without any time limit and without the use of consumables.

Coldway provides solutions to a variety of industrial sectors, ranging from the medical industry to catering and including logistics and transport, all of which comply with the fundamental health requirements applicable to the cold chain – control and traceability of temperature, flexibility and reliability in the transportation of sensitive products at consistent temperatures.

The product ranges developed by Coldway now equip more than 600 companies in France and 45 other countries worldwide.