The Carrier OptiClean and the Condura VaxSafe: CIC’s Weapons of Hope against the spread of COVID-19

(As published on BizNews Asia; September Issue)

Concepcion Industrial Corporation (CIC) has always been about building better lives. From its product solutions to lifestyle and service solutions, and to its engagement with its internal and external community, CIC has been a company that is centered in serving the Filipino people. 

This time of the pandemic has brought on many difficulties and disruptions for every Filipino. No one was spared by COVID-19 as healthcare systems worked day in and out to stay operational for those afflicted, businesses struggled to continue providing goods, services and jobs, and individuals fought every day to survive for themselves and their loved ones.

A company aware of its responsibility toward its community, CIC activated its passion for innovation and commitment to the Filipino people. The organization recognized the critical role it plays in providing help that our nation needs and thus have accepted the responsibility and capability to give the needed support in our fight against COVID-19.

In early 2020, CIC’s commercial division, Alstra, launched the Carrier OptiClean in the Philippines. A product originally designed and manufactured by Carrier USA, the product is a negative-air machine that purifies airspaces and ensures cool and clean environments within enclosed areas such as hospitals and healthcare facilities.

The Carrier OptiClean can be used in two modes: Air Scribber, which filters air to remove possibly toxic particles and discharges cleaner air back into the room, and Negative Air Machine, which helps convert normal hospital rooms into negative-pressure airborne infections isolation rooms.

Additionally, in April 2021, Condura launched the Vax Safe, a medical refrigerator/freezer that has been developed as early as March 2020. It can store and preserve a range of COVID-19 vaccines at their required temperature and in optimal conditions. Affordable and accessible to authorities and institutions implementing vaccination programs, this new product will help in the efficient distribution of vaccines across the country, which may then pave way for the vaccination of the Filipino population. 

A Filipino brand at the forefront of Filipino innovation, Condura has consistently created products that meet the unique challenges of the Philippines and its people. As the leading manufacturer of refrigerators and freezers in the country, Condura has designed and built this new product to ensure the vaccines reach even the far flung areas in our country, as a testament to our pledge to provide for the Filipino community, especially in times of crises and uncertainties.

According to Mr. Raul Joseph Concepcion, Chairman and CEO of the Concepcion Industrial Corporation, “The company mobilized its capabilities and expertise in R&D (research and development), testing facilities, manufacturing, after-sales support and nationwide distribution network.” This indeed follows the company’s agility and resilience. CIC continues to realize its vision of a happier tomorrow by going above and beyond.

Concepcion Industrial’s Condura creates vaccine refrigerator Vax Safe

(As published on https://www.bworldonline.com/concepcion-industrials-condura-creates-vaccine-refrigerator-vax-safe; April 16, 2021)

CONCEPCION Durables, Inc. (Condura), a wholly owned subsidiary of Concepcion Industrial Corp., designed and created a medical refrigerator/freezer for vaccines called Condura Vax Safe.

Condura - one of the most popular home air conditioner brands in the Philippines

In a disclosure to the exchange on Thursday, Concepcion Industrial said the new product can store coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines at “required temperature and in optimal conditions.”

Vax Safe will feature a fixed temperature lock, alert indicators, and an externally readable temperature data logger. The product is said to be 8 cubic feet in gross capacity, and will be able to store about 1,000 to 2,000 vaccine doses at a time.

“In the Condura Vax Safe development process, we consulted the Department of Health National Center for Disease Prevention and Control to comply with the stringent vaccine storage requirements,” Harold Thomas Pernikar, Jr., division president of consumer lifestyle solutions at Condura, told BusinessWorld via e-mail.

Vax Safe is manufactured at the Condura plant in Cabuyao, Laguna. Condura produces various air conditioners and refrigerator products.

Concepcion Industrial said it invested nearly P10 million on the research and development of Vax Safe, focusing on the following: speed to market, reliability, and affordability.

“The company mobilized its capabilities and expertise in R&D (research and development), testing facilities, manufacturing, after-sales support and nationwide distribution network,” Concepcion Industrial Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Raul Joseph A. Concepcion said via e-mail.

For Vax Safe, Concepcion Industrial said it is using “similar components” to what the company is currently using “to expedite the process and launch the product the soonest time possible.”

Condura Vax Safe will be sold for around P50,000 at retail, which the company said is “50% more affordable compared to similar bio-refs sourced from other countries.”

“We’re currently in talks with various groups such as medical distributors, hospitals, private companies and LGUs (local government units),” Mr. Concepcion said.

“We’re receiving more inquiries and reservation requests as of this writing,” he added.

Concepcion Industrial shares at the stock exchange improved by 2.33% or P0.50 on Thursday to close at P22 apiece. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte

Corporate governance Investor relations