Imperial Health Sciences on Wednesday announced the development of a new pharmaceutical storage and distribution facility in Nairobi, Kenya.

“This custom-built warehouse forms part of our active delivery of healthcare and storage solutions in developing markets, where there is a dire shortage of warehouse facilities that meet the requirements for effective, quality assured pharmaceutical warehousing and distribution,” said Imperial Health Sciences MD Dr Iain Barton.

“Healthcare practitioners in underserved areas are faced with a growing burden of complex disease management, aggravated by ageing infrastructures and unreliable supply of essential medicines.”

Barton also stressed that without sustainable warehousing infrastructure and supply chain systems in place, practitioners in the field could not access a safe, secure, reliable supply of medicines in line with best-practice quality standards.

Located on Mombasa road in Nairobi, Imperial Health Sciences’ new facility would be 9 564 m2 in size, offering 5 361 pharmaceutical pallet locations, as well as 3 978 consumer and 466 cold-chain pallet locations.

The development also included a 1 000 m2 office area and a conference and training centre.

“The $20-million construction contract has been awarded to a consortium of Kenyan contractors,” said Barton.

“At its peak, the contract will create employment for 400 local people.”

Sustainability initiatives at the new facility would include solar-powered external lighting and electric fencing; energy efficient, sensor-operated industrial fittings in the warehouse; energy efficient airconditioning units throughout the facility; and solar-heated hot water. 

Thermo protecting paint and energy reducing insulation would also be used to minimise the facility’s heating and cooling requirements.

The development would also harvest rainwater, and would have its own water purification plant.

The facility was expected to be up and running in 2015.

Imperial Health Sciences currently employed 96 people in Nairobi, with the warehouse taking this number to 180.

Imperial Health Sciences formed part of Imperial Logistics.