SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster was able to tour Horizon Scientific Incorporated in Summerville who is producing vaccine refrigerators and freezers.
The company is the only manufacture for Ultra Low Temperature Freezers (ULT) in South Carolina, which are required to store the Pfizer vaccine.
"It's interesting that here with the coronavirus, the pandemic among us, and here we have in South Carolina one of the key parts to keeping our people safe and healthy and productive and that's the production of these refrigerators or freezers," said Governor McMaster.
Laura Steiner, the president of the company, says they've been in the business for more than twenty years.
"We've taken more orders in the past month than we've had in two years so it's a massive volume that we've seen just in the past couple of months," said Steiner.
MUSC, DHEC and Lexington Medical Center are using the freezers they've produced.
The freezers are also going to other places around the country.
"We really knew that we would play a critical role and that there would be a surge of demand for these vaccine refrigerators and freezers," explained Steiner. "When the U.S. really started getting hit, that's when we really started planning."
The company say these refrigerators have the ability to store 50,000 vaccines. Horizon Scientific Incorporated says they've also doubled the workforce since the demand has been high.
Governor McMaster is happy to see how South Carolina is helping the world fight the pandemic.
"This shows the innovation," said Governor McMaster. "This shows how the work we're doing in South Carolina is for the future and we have a broad ray of manufacturing and industrial scientific things happening. This is what I like to call South Carolina Brainpower USA."
Governor McMaster went onto say, "The innovation, the timing, the skill and the technology that's reflected on the tool that we just saw making these critical machines is a great thing for South Carolina."
News 19 asked Governor McMaster if he plans on getting the vaccine and he says he is. He says he's not sure when he'll receive it because his lower on the list to get the vaccine, but he will get it as soon as it is available to him.