Stepac, a supplier of real-time cold chain monitoring and tracking solutions to the fresh produce industry, has developed ‘Xsense’ specifically for perishable foods. The solution, which contains Telenor Connexion’s embedded connectivity, allows the receiver of temperature-sensitive goods to know immediately, before accepting the shipment, if products have remained at the proper temperature for the entire trip.
The Xsense solution works in real-time mode, providing vital information about produce quality from inside the carton or package. It contains temperature and relative humidity sensors, which collect and transfer data by wireless communication to a communication unit (CU) via standard mobile and/or LAN networks.
Data is available in real-time throughout the shipment and alerts can be sent via SMS or email. GPS tracking lets you view the geographic progress of the shipment as well.
“The partnership of Xsense and Telenor Connexion highlights a growing trend of wireless innovations occuring in business and life critical solutions. Everyday, billions of dollars of temperature-sensitive goods are transported from one location to another. By using wireless connectivity it is now possible to seamlessly monitor the entire cold chain from end-to-end in real time, thus providing an accurate picture of the treatment of goods in transit and enabling true asset management,” says Gwenn Larsson, CMO at Telenor Connexion.
“To wirelessly monitor the temperature of shipments as they travel along the cold chain – and the world – has a large impact not only on the quality of the produce, but also on the financial success of our customers. The return on investment of cold chains depends mainly on the reduction of food waste. However, improved efficiency such as implementing First Expired First Out (FEFO) management, can potentially also save millions of dollars annually”, says Udi Aviran, Commercial Manager at Stepac.
The Xsense solution has been purchased, in the fresh produce and the meat industry, by more than 200 customers all over the globe.