Massey’s RIBB design set to have global impact on vaccine safety

Cold Chain, is the system of storing temperature-sensitive medicines within the recommended temperature range of +2°C to +8°C from the point of manufacture through to administering to a patient, ensuring medicine efficacy. It requires spacing between individual items (25-30mm) to ensure airflow within the refrigerator.

The World Health Organisation estimates up to 50 per cent of vaccines are wasted each year due to failures in temperature control and cold-chain logistics. In New Zealand alone, one regional health board reported around $4,000 worth of vaccines discarded each month as a result of cold-chain breaches (CCDHB July 2018). In Australia, losses between 2014 and 2019 were estimated at more than $25 million AUD. (NewsGP 26th Sept 2019).

RIBB is a retrofit solution supporting cold chain adherence within medical refrigerators; helping protect life-saving vaccines and temperature-sensitive medicines from preventable waste through thermal bridging, as well as making for tidier, more efficiently laid out fridges.

RIBB was designed by Associate Professor Rodney Adank, Senior Lecturer Jason Mitchell and Senior Tutor Dr Zené Krige from Massey University’s School of Design, alongside College of Health Associate Professor Wyatt Page, in partnership with the Centre of Clinical Excellence at Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand. The co-design process saw a series of trials undertaken to test prototypes and concepts up to the resulting design. It has achieved international recognition, winning an Australian Good Design Award in 2025 and the Red Dot Design Award in 2024.

Associate Professor Adank says the success of Ribb demonstrates the power of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

“By co-designing with expert end users, Ribb is a solution born from genuine understanding of the challenges faced by health professionals involved with the management of valuable, and often expensive vaccines and pharmaceuticals.”

The RIBB Solution

Ribb is a modular bumper which fits inside pharmaceutical refrigerators to optimise airflow, spacing and organisation. It reduces the risk of cold bridging; when vials or medicines touch the colder walls of a fridge and freeze, while keeping products tidy and easy to locate. The system can be retrofit into existing fridges or installed in new ones, offering flexibility and minimal disruption.

Made from Polypropylene, a fully recyclable and resilient to standard infection-control cleaning procedures material. Ribb is flat-packed for easy transport and assembly, requiring a simple fold-and-clip motion to assemble. Proudly designed in Wellington, and manufactured in Whanganui, a truly local innovation to a global problem.

Initial trials at Wellington Regional Hospital confirmed its usability and benefits. The product proved unobtrusive for staff while improving efficiency, reducing the time fridges are open and maintaining more stable internal temperatures.
Senior Lecturer Jason Mitchell says although cold‑chain standards are vital for protecting medications and patients, busy clinical environments can make them difficult to maintain.
“Ribb reduces this pressure by minimising fridge reorganisation and making medications easier to find.”

From research to real-world impact

What began as a design research project has grown into a successful commercial innovation. Supported by Massey Ventures, the university’s commercialisation arm, RIBB has now been launched to the health sector in New Zealand, launching at the Immunisation Advisory Centre Conference in Hamilton September last year. The response from healthcare professionals has been enthusiastic, with strong interest supporting product commercialisation nationally and internationally.
Massey Ventures Commercialisation Manager Ella Moffat says Ribb demonstrates what is possible when creative research meets a clear market need.

Massey Ventures has played a pivotal role in guiding Ribb’s intellectual property protection and commercial pathway.

Design that makes a difference

Ribb provides a retrofit solution supporting Cold Chain adherence for medical refrigerators. Reducing direct contact points, Ribb helps limit thermal bridging and supports more stable internal conditions, contributing to improved temperature consistency and reduced product risk. The bumper integrates easily into existing refrigeration systems without disrupting daily workflows. A tidier fridge is much simpler to navigate, reducing the amount of time that the door needs to be open and reducing the amount of cold air escaping.

Massey University College of Health Associate Professor Page says the pharmaceutical sector faces a major challenge in upgrading outdated refrigeration systems. “Pharmaceutical refrigerators are widely installed across healthcarefacilities globally, with most using technology that has long been replaced in domestic settings. So any solution that supports cold-chain best practice ideally needs to be universal.”

Ongoing innovation

The RIBB team continues to explore new opportunities for application in hospitals, pharmacies and clinics across New Zealand and overseas, currently selling in New Zealand with aspirations to expand into the Australian market in the next few months. Intellectual Property has been secured across multiple jurisdictions.

Dr Zené Krige, who worked on the product design, is now the General Manager for RIBB.

“RIBB is a great example of local innovations that hold practical, positive impact at a global scale. It addresses a common problem that often sees blame land on busy clinical staff and creates increased confidence in the cold-chain system.”

As health systems worldwide face growing pressure to deliver safe and efficient care, design interventions like RIBB provide quality improvements to medical systems along with practicable usability to medical staff.

Visit the Ribb website here: https://ribb.co.nz.