Data monitoring and real-time control of handling equipment has become an essential part of operation management in the temperature controlled industry.
With the occasion of Anuga, providers of such equipment have prepared some state-of-the-art innovations for companies which seek better surveillance during the transportation phases of their foodstuffs.
Visitors to Anuga will be able to discover wireless and network connected solutions for monitoring all aspects of food preparation, transportation, storage, and service, courtesy of the T&D Corportaion. This Japanese company was founded 1986 in Matsumoto. The company name derives from “try and develop” and emphasizes the company’s ambition to create innovative products with a high degree of practical usefulness. Having started out developing electronic products mainly for the automotive aftermarket, today the company is the Japanese market leader for data loggers.
Food monitoring with networked data loggers not only helps to safeguard goods and processes, but also ensures accurate documentation of compliance with legal regulations, for instance EU guidelines for hygiene and quality. Networked data logger systems fit individual needs, simplify processes and allow error free access to measured data at any time from any place. A team of about 50 specialists are engaged in developing data logger systems for industrial, public and private demands. Production takes place in a high-tech site in Matsumoto, Japan, and since 2003, T&D Corporation has been exporting its wireless data loggers worldwide. The company is represented through a European Sales Office located in Niddatal near Frankfurt and a sales office in the USA.
The company is present at Anuga at booth 7.1C075, where it will showcase data logger solutions that can be set to individual needs, facilitating data handling and guaranteeing flexibility when monitoring food safety and quality throughout the production chain One of T&D Corporation’s showcased highlights is the RTR 500 series, which includes all devices required to build a tailor-made solution. These compact data loggers monitor many different parameters, including temperature, humidity, voltage/current and more, and are available in wireless, GSM, USB and Ethernet models. The wireless base station automatically aggregates the data from compatible wireless data loggers out to a 150 meter free air range, or longer distances strengthened through a repeater.
Automatic data upload
The Japanese company T&D emphasizes the importance of a web storage service and introduces new devices that automatically upload the recorded data to their proprietary WebStorage service, with a capacity of 20MB. This is possible with the introduction of the latest models in its TR-7wf series. Access to logged data is possible at any time from anywhere via PC, tablet or smart phone and the TR-7wf data loggers measure and record temperature as well as humidity in public and industrial surroundings. Each model features a USB connection for setup and data download onto a computer, and each is powered by two batteries – either AA Alkaline or AA Ni-MH.
With wireless LAN communication, the battery life is approximately one year when the auto-upload interval is one hour. Without wireless LAN communication, the batteries will last for around a year and a half. If any disturbance should occur when the data loggers are in use, warning notifications can be sent via e-mail over the The company’s high precision and wide range measurement facility combined with their flexibility makes the TR-7wf data loggers ideal for use in industrial as well as public areas. They can be utilized, for example, in warehouses for temperature and humidity management and also for humidity and heating control in housing.
Strategic global alliance for reefer container monitoring technology
Identec Solutions has entered into a multi-year global strategic alliance with WAM Technologies LLC, a new technology division of Mark-It Services. Having pioneered the development of low-power, long-range active RFID technology, Identec Solutions is now a global provider of real-time wireless identification, locating and monitoring solutions to the marine and industrial sectors. Mark-It Services is a global supplier of protection services for refrigerated cargo, refrigerated containers and related assets throughout the intermodal cold chain.
“We are very excited to have a formal strategic alliance with Identec Solutions, which has been a trusted working partner for over five years. The innovative synergies between the two companies bring together complementary skills, knowledge and resources in new ways. Mark-It Services and Identec Solutions are a perfect fit to develop an all-inclusive reefer monitoring solution that ports and terminal operators have been waiting for quite a while,” commented Mark Heck, CEO at Mark-It Services. The new business alliance will merge Identec Solutions’ market expertise with WAM Technologies’ patented refrigerated container interface technology, integrating it with Identec Solutions’ reefer-mountable RFID tags.
For the past five years, Identec Solutions and WAM have been partnering to deliver successful reefer monitoring solutions to major container terminals and port authorities around the world. This new agreement will greatly expand the capabilities of the system and allow Identec Solutions to customize the WAM software and functionality to meet the requirements of its port and terminal customers. Parvez Mansuri, CIO of WAM Technologies added: “Integrating Identec Solutions’ extensive sales force, global footprint and technical expertise in RFID with Mark-It Services’ specialization in all aspects of the cold asset supply chain make us the preferred choice for remote reefer monitoring solutions. Among the prime advantages of this alliance for both Mark-It and Identec Solutions is the opportunity to focus on developing new feature-rich solutions that will make reefer issues in container terminals a thing of the past.”