Panasonic launches services for VIXELL Container

Tokyo, Japan, June 16, 2025 – Panasonic Corporation (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masahiro Shinada; hereinafter referred to as Panasonic) today announced that it has launched rental and other services for the VIXELL Container, after adding it to the VIXELL product lineup, vacuum-insulated cooling boxes used to transport pharmaceuticals and investigational drugs that require strict temperature control. The VIXELL Container is a large-capacity cooling box that can load palletized cargo as is and keep it refrigerated for up to 10 days without a power source.

Active containers equipped with a cooling system are generally used for the international transportation of pharmaceuticals that require strict temperature control. With a power source, they can maintain a constant temperature for a prolonged period, while posing possible temperature excursion issues, including a sudden failure of the cooling system or exposure to outside air when reloading cargo into refrigerated trucks. As part of measures to address these risks, passive containers are increasingly being used. They do not require a power source, as they use coolants. However, typical passive containers can only keep cargo refrigerated for a short period of three to five days. If the duration of transportation increases due to flight delays or customs clearance issues, the cargo must be removed and stored in a refrigerated area, or the coolants inside the containers must be replaced.

Panasonic's new VIXELL Container can keep cargo refrigerated for up to 10 days, the longest duration in the industry for passive containers.*² This will avoid the need to replace coolants even if transportation is prolonged for a few days due to flight or customs procedural delays. Furthermore, since cargo can be transported in the VIXELL Container without having to reload it into refrigerated trucks, it will reduce the risk of temperature excursions due to exposure to outside air. The VIXELL Container can accommodate a T11 pallet (1100 x 1100 mm) used in Japan as well as pallets sized 1000 x 1200 mm, common in Europe and the U.S., allowing palletized cargo to remain loaded. Also, a structure that allows radio waves to pass through the cooling box for communication, one of the features of VIXELL, is also incorporated in the VIXELL Container, enabling remote access to shipping temperature data and location information via a real-time data logger.*³

In addition to the box and pallet types, VIXELL now offers the container type, meeting a wide range of temperature-controlled transportation needs through a diverse lineup of products. Moreover, aside from renting and leasing the VIXELL Container, Panasonic has also launched rental services for overseas transportation, in which the used VIXELL Container will be collected and reused by leveraging its robustness. This initiative will contribute to a circular economy by establishing a recycling system that reduces waste.

Notes:

*1: Cooling period at an outside temperature of 30°C

*2: As of June 2025, according to Panasonic's research

*3: Device for recording real-time measurement data (e.g. temperature, humidity, pressure)

An aluminum-free vacuum insulation case (VIC: Vacuum Insulated Case) prevents cold air from escaping through joints, ensuring cold retention up to 10 days. Since the container does not require reloading or a power source, it reduces the risk of temperature excursions and enables prolonged cold transportation at low cost.

The VIC's envelope, three to ten times thicker than common vacuum insulation panels (VIP: Vacuum Insulated Panel), protects the VIC's vacuum state from vibrations during transportation and drop impacts from cargo handling. It is difficult to identify a decrease in insulation performance of common containers due to damage sustained in transit. On the other hand, this product is equipped with a wireless vacuum sensor, which instantly assesses its insulation performance before use.

VIXELL temperature-controlled transportation solutions website
https://www.panasonic.com/global/business/vixell.html