Food Logistics serves the entire Printing Industry with targeted content for the large commercial print segment.
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30 A P R I L 2014 ❯❯ FO O D LO G I S T I C S W W W . F O O D L O G I S T I C S . C O M S P E C I A L E D I T I O N F or decades, temperature monitor- ing was used primarily to detect incidences where temperature problems may have affected the quality of perishables on an indi- vidual shipment basis. Often this was done for claims/insurance purposes. Now, progressive food companies use temperature monitoring to drive continuous improvement in their cold chains by using a more sophisticated approach. This approach looks not only at the individual shipments, but also at the trends and patterns in data aggregated from large numbers of ship- ments to identify the largest opportunities for improvement, to identify the root causes for any temperature problems, and to deter- mine appropriate corrective actions. Critical to the success of this updated approach is the artful balance of hardware, software, data analysis, and expertise to ensure continuous improvement. Hardware The time/temperature monitors available today utilize a variety of methods for down- loading the data to a database via the Inter- net: USB or purpose-built interfaces that connect to a PC, short- and medium-range radio frequency (RF) technologies such as ISM-band MESH, WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC, as well as long-range RF technologies such as cellular and satellite communications. Each of these technologies has advan- tages and disadvantages in terms of cost, speed of access to the data, labor involved, etc. It is important to note that, when used properly in the context of a comprehensive cold chain monitoring program, all of the technologies mentioned above can be used effectively to improve the cold chain. Software Hardware technology tends to draw more attention; however, it is actually the software that is more important when it comes to cold chain temperature monitoring. Software enables smart analysis of the temperature data, supporting users to make the right decisions for managing the cold chain. Important uses of temperature monitoring software include: entering and storing ship- ment attributes, downloading and storing temperature data, providing access to the data through query, providing notifications of alarm conditions, facilitating data analysis, and creating reports. Web-based software provides all of these functions with the added benefit of allowing permission-based access to users around the globe. Analysis & Reporting The analysis and reporting functionalities of cold chain monitoring software are key to helping decision makers effectively use large amounts of data, by making it easy to see trends and patterns in the data, and to identify subsets of shipments where the greatest opportunity for improvement exists. The software helps managers to identify and rank groups of shipments such as a particular product type, supplier, location, transport company or combinations thereof by cold chain performance. Improvement efforts can then be focused efficiently on the sub-sets of shipments with the biggest problems, permitting corrective actions to be determined and implemented. This should be an ongoing activity where shipments are monitored, the biggest prob- lems identified, root causes determined, and corrective actions are put in place allowing managers to continuously improve the cold chain. Services To be truly effective, a cold chain monitor- ing vendor should provide services along with hardware and software. Some of these services ought to be oriented to the opera- tional aspects of monitoring. For example, to ensure that the right monitor is provisioned, that it's programmed the right way, and that it's delivered to the right place at the right time. User training and high-availability techni- cal support at both ends of the supply chain are also important. While these may sound simple, it is not easy to support customers who are located around the globe — often in remote rural areas, speaking a wide range of languages, shipping products with dif- ferent requirements, and often monitoring highly seasonal products. Other critical services should focus on using the temperature data effectively, determining the root cause of temperature problems identified, and determining appro- priate corrective actions. These services require a temperature monitoring vendor to have expertise in areas such as refrigeration technology, food and postharvest technol- ogy, food distribution systems, and data analysis. Good cold chain management means reduced losses due to the deterioration of perishables and a better quality product on the shelf. Receivers can drive improvements in their cold chains by shifting from a model of monitoring focused on the assessment of individual shipments to a model that leverages sophisticated data analysis and a continuous improvement approach. Getting the Most from a Cold Chain Monitoring Program By Jeff Leshuk, VP Strategic Marketing & Business Development - Food, Sensitech Inc. ....Cold Chain While North America is the largest market for cold chain logistics, some of the strongest growth in the sector is happening in emerging markets like Asia and Latin America and the sectorÕs biggest players are vying for position in these regions. For instance, China is among the worldÕs top five producers of fruit. Yet, huge amounts of fruits and vegetables grown in that country are wasted due to poor logistics and cold chain infrastructure. By some estimates, 70 percent of the cost of certain fresh foods are inflated to offset the losses incurred because of excessive waste. 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