Throughout human history, the world economy has relied on various technological breakthroughs that have expanded the production of products and brought the modern economy into existence. These industrialized processes contributed to a near-perpetual upward trend in individuals’ overall quality of life worldwide within a short period. Today, one of the most important is the commercial and industrial refrigeration monitoring system, often known as the cold chain, used to transport items worldwide.

It valued around $167 billion in the years before the Covid-19 outbreak in the world’s cold chain markets. According to specific reports, cold storage capacity has been increased by 16.7 percent worldwide between 2018 and 2020. The cold chain’s demand for and the associated value is expected to skyrocket exponentially in the next decade. According to predictions, the value will increase to $447.5 billion by 2025. On the other hand, the cold chain has a weak link. Even though cold storage is essential for many businesses, there is a noticeable lack of adequate monitoring for their equipment and inventory. Restaurants, hospitality, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and cold storage warehouses are just a few examples of industries where this is especially true.

Some businesses may rely on traditional thermometers, while others may not keep track of their equipment and inventory levels.

Whatever the application, whether it is freezers, walk-in industrial refrigeration, or even a lowboy at your local diner, a lack of effective monitoring results in costly product spoiling and inventory loss. While some may consider these risks to be a regular part of doing business, for others, they represent a genuine threat to the sustainability of their enterprise. Remote monitoring technology, such as Choovio Smart Sensor Solution, is increasingly becoming a solution to this rising challenge as the need for the growth of the cold chain continues to expand. Choovio positions itself to become a critical component of the smart cold chain of the future, thanks to its real-time data and analytics, automatic reporting and alerting, and complete connection with the internet of things (IoT).

Refrigeration Monitoring System Works 24X7

One of the essential features of Choovio’s refrigeration monitoring system is that it allows businesses to check the temperature of their cold storage facilities at any time of day or night. Using three key components, Choovio can accomplish this: the temperature sensor, the LoRaWAN gateway, and the software suite.

Choovio’s temperature and humidity monitoring solution includes wireless sensors designed to be multifunctional. Operators will be able to recognize if and when their perishable inventory has reached the conditional spoiling levels if they can monitor both factors in real-time. These conditions are referred to as the “food safety danger zone” by those working in the food industry. In a refrigeration monitoring system, the danger zone is defined as the temperature range between 40°F and 140°F, during which bacteria that cause spoiling thrive and multiply. It is important to note that humidity encourages the growth of bacteria. Therefore a reliable food safety monitoring solution should incorporate these elements.

Temperature and humidity are measured every 10 minutes by Choovio’s sensors by default, which then communicate the data to a centralized router or gateway using long-range radio technology (LoRaWAN). Compared to WiFi or Bluetooth, using LoRaWAN to connect sensors and gateways has distinct advantages. LoRaWAN can transmit data through metal-plated and concrete walls, which are commonly found in the infrastructure of restaurants and warehouses, among other places. The sensor sends data about temperature and humidity to the gateway, which processes it. The gateway has multiple options for connectivity to our cloud platform via 4G modem or internet WAP hotspot. Choovio utilizes the Helium network, the people’s network as they call it, to transmit data. So whenever there is the Helium network coverage, the solution works without installing a gateway.

Choovio’s Smart Sensor Solution plays the application role and has access to data stored in the cloud. Users can access this data using a mobile app or web dashboard. In contrast to the dashboard, which can only be viewed through an internet browser, Choovio’s mobile app is available for both Apple and Android devices. The three components, when used together, allow users to keep track of the conditions that contribute to the most common causes of inventory loss, which are as follows:

• Energy outages: In areas where harsh weather conditions occur regularly, the refrigeration monitoring system can tell you when and for how long your machinery and inventory have been out of the limit. It is possible to determine how extended your stock has been out of threshold and therefore needs to be disposed of, or whether it is still viable and may be relocated to alternate areas by utilizing a refrigerator monitoring system.
• Equipment breakdowns and malfunctions: Commercial refrigeration, despite its importance, is prone to breakdowns and malfunctions. According to an estimate, around 33 percent of refrigeration systems less than ten years old would experience problems every year. On the other hand, coolers are known to malfunction at random. When a breakdown occurs, it is frequently accompanied by a gradual failure to maintain temperature, such as a gradual warming trend, which is predictable using wireless sensor data. This information allows operators to dispatch maintenance personnel before a failure occurs, which helps to reduce downtime, keep repair costs down, and prevent loss events.
• Human Error: The usage of manual temperature monitoring is common in businesses that do not use wireless refrigeration monitoring systems. While teams are working during peak operating hours, it is possible that they will not identify temperature excursions or that they will not execute their audit accurately. Choovio performs temperature checks appropriately and automatically, relieving their employees of one more thing to worry about while also maintaining the usefulness of the data collected by the system.

 Refrigeration Monitoring System – Real-Time Alerts and Reports

While monitoring temperature and humidity at a glance is essential, it is only one piece of the refrigeration monitoring puzzle when used in isolation. Our software suite can assist users who want to take control of their equipment in the short and long term.

Choovio’s mobile app allows you to check the temperature of your home or office while on the go. The app can assist you in alerts and reports configuration and inviting users. Choovio’s reports enable operators to adopt a proactive approach to mitigating the effects of circumstances outside acceptable thresholds by taking proactive measures.

For example, in the case of a spoilage notice, operators can move their goods to different storage sites on or offsite before it degrades. This allows them to call maintenance staff to fix their equipment before it malfunctions completely. It is critical to act immediately since complete equipment breakdowns take significantly longer than minor component repairs. Because foodservice operations cannot run without refrigeration and the related inventory, this period is referred to as downtime and represents an additional expense to operators.

Our web-based dashboards provide more detailed analytics and act as the primary technique for logging data and producing verified reports.

These reports assist you in meeting local health inspector requirements and national safety protocols such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

In the end, using Choovio Smart Sensor Solution can help you save some of the 28-35 percent of your annual income lost due to inventory mismanagement. Considering that Choovio costs only $9 per sensor every month, putting $15,000 back in your pocket every year is highly cost-effective.