Refrigeration Monitoring System
Throughout human history, the world economy has relied on technological breakthroughs. These advances expanded production and helped bring the modern economy into existence. Industrialized processes also improved quality of life worldwide in a relatively short period. Today, businesses rely on commercial and industrial refrigeration monitoring systems, known as the cold chain, to transport items worldwide.
The Growing Cold Chain Market and Its Monitoring Gap
The global cold chain market reached a value of around $167 billion before the Covid-19 outbreak. Reports show that companies expanded global cold storage capacity by 16.7 percent between 2018 and 2020. Industry analysts expect cold chain demand and market value to skyrocket over 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. Though cold storage is essential, many businesses lack adequate equipment and inventory monitoring. Restaurants, hospitality venues, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and cold storage warehouses face this issue most often.
Some businesses may rely on traditional thermometers, while others may not keep track of their equipment and inventory levels.
Regardless of the application, poor monitoring leads to costly spoilage and inventory loss. This includes freezers, walk-in refrigeration units, and even lowboys at local diners. While some see this risk as unavoidable, others view it as a serious threat to business sustainability. Remote monitoring technology is emerging as a solution to this challenge. Solutions like Choovio Smart Sensor Solution address the growing needs of the expanding cold chain. Choovio aims to become a core component of the smart cold chain. It offers real-time data, analytics, automated alerts, and full internet of things (IoT) connectivity.
Refrigeration Monitoring System Works 24X7
One essential feature of Choovio’s system is continuous temperature monitoring. Businesses can check cold storage conditions at any time, day or night. Using three key components, Choovio can accomplish this: the temperature sensor, the LoRaWAN gateway, and the software suite.
How the System Monitors Temperature and Humidity in Real Time
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. Food industry professionals call these conditions the “food safety danger zone.” 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.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Cloud Data Access and Smart Inventory Monitoring
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, our 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.
Leading Causes of Inventory Loss:
- 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.
