Temperature monitoring makes sense when you’re transporting fresh fish or fruit and vegetables. Keeping the items cool helps to extend their shelf lives and ensure that they arrive fresh and full of nutrients.
But, the fresh food industry is not the only one that can benefit from temperature monitoring. In fact, almost every industry could benefit from this approach to product control.
Why It’s Necessary
Consumers pay good money for items that are delivered promptly and in good condition. When you’re dealing with food it is particularly important that the food has stayed within the designated temperature range.
If it moves outside this range then its possible that bacteria can arrive on the produce and start to multiply. This bacteria can then be passed to humans that consume the food, causing an array of illnesses, some of which are particularly serious.
These can’t be seen at the time of delivery but their effects could damage people’s lives, ruin a company’s reputation, and even lead to lawsuits.
A simple temperature monitoring device can prevent this from being an issue.
Of course, it’s not just food industries that benefit from temperature monitoring. There are many other goods that are sensitive to temperature changes, electronics is a great example.
Any electronic item that is subject to too high a temperature will cook, rendering it useless. Temperature monitoring can make sure this has not happened while the item(s) have been in transit to you.
Managing It
The simplest approach is a special sticker on the parcel. This has a temperature parameter range associated with it. If your item goes outside the designated temperature range the sticker will change color. This alerts the receiver that something has happened and they should reject the item.
An alternative approach is a temperature reader inside the truck which is hooked to a wireless network. This will regularly check the temperature and provide you with an alarm if there is an issue. You can then contact the driver to arrange for the goods to be checked.
Of course, monitoring the temperature in the truck doesn’t mean there aren’t hot and cold spots, which is why individual package monitoring has the potential to be more precise.
This approach can also be used with parcels inside commercial refrigerators and business storage lockers, even after the item has been delivered. This will ensure they are being kept in the right temperature environment, which is extremely beneficial for the bottom line of any business.
Product Loss
Don’t forget that while temperature monitoring can help to reduce incidents of food poisoning, it is also an effective way of reducing product wastage. If a product is kept at the right temperature it will last longer than one that is not. This means less wastage which is good for the business and the environment.
Temperature monitoring acts as an early warning system, alerting you to incorrectly completed procedures or equipment failure, potentially in time to save the product and your bottom line.
