Billions of goods are transported and shipped across the globe every day. For many goods, it is sufficient to simply load them onto a lorry or ship and transport them to the next destination. The situation is different for vegetables, fruit and fish products. These sensitive products need to be constantly monitored during transport so that they do not spoil en route and are therefore no longer suitable for sale.
More and more companies are relying on intelligent tracking and monitoring systems for such transports. Transport trackers monitor compliance with prescribed conditions and reliably monitor ambient conditions and temperatures during transport. During food transport, for example, tracking systems can prevent the prescribed refrigeration from leaking or leaking unnoticed during transport and food from being exposed to critical conditions. To this end, the intelligent monitoring systems measure and log the temperature and issue an alarm if the temperature exceeds or falls below certain limits. Equipped with different communication systems - for example with mobile communications and the associated cloud - the intelligent tracking loggers with temperature sensors ensure that measured values are transmitted in real time and logistics managers can take immediate countermeasures in critical situations.
EU regulation demands traceability
The fact that more and more food companies are turning to tracking systems is also due to the EU regulation HACCP (Hazard Analysis Control Point). Since the decree, food producers have had to ensure the complete traceability of their products - from production and transport through to wholesale and retail. The aim is to increase transparency in the supply chain and minimise the risk of spoiled food for consumers. For example, frozen food must be transported at a temperature of minus 18 degrees, and the temperature must not be exceeded during the entire transport and storage period - until the frozen food arrives in the supermarket in the freezer box.
However, the right transport conditions are also crucial for fresh fruit and vegetables. If, for example, an electronic sensor detects an imminent overripe vegetable delivery during transport on a lorry, this provides the retailer with important information that they should sell the goods quickly and stop transporting them. In this way, monitoring systems help food companies to obtain the data they need to make the right decisions and thus save costs.
Cooling chain must be maintained
Reliable monitoring of the cooling temperature is particularly important when shipping and transporting food. If the refrigeration chain is interrupted, there is a risk of high consequential costs due to non-compliance with legal requirements. These can be avoided through foresighted planning and the use of tracking systems. The SpotBot Cellular has proven to be a recommended monitoring tool. The handy data logger from manufacturer SpotSee triggers an alarm if the set limit values are exceeded or undercut and sends a signal directly from the transport vehicle via mobile radio (3G) to the cloud, which in turn informs the transport manager by email. Many food companies are already using the handy system in their supply chain. Other manufacturers also offer suitable tracking systems for a wide range of transport applications. The Tempmate GS, for example, has proven to be a recommendable single-use tracking logger for temperature monitoring. The intelligent transport companions not only register and report when limit values are exceeded, but also log the location where the problem occurred within the logistics chain - for example, if the refrigeration fails during lorry transport.
Monitoring systems in the pharmaceutical industry
However, the food industry is not the only sector that is already increasingly relying on intelligent tracking systems: Transport trackers have also already established themselves in the pharmaceutical industry - where the legal requirements are even stricter –. For example, when it comes to monitoring and verifying the correct storage and delivery conditions of deep-frozen medicines, temperature data loggers are the first choice for many transport logistics companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Would you like to find out more about cold chain monitoring? Then we would be happy to advise you. Simply book our free consultation via our booking tool! We look forward to your questions.