CAS DataLoggers, Chesterland, Ohio, provided the data logging solution for a slaughterhouse that frequently shipped chilled and frozen meat products to far-off distribution centers and markets. The slaughterhouse had a constant and critical need to maintain the temperature of its meat cold storage and avoid spoilage during processing, storage and transport.
Proof of adequate product handling was always necessary for management, as the company could face serious financial losses and a damaging loss of customer confidence if it couldn’t maintain temperature throughout transit.
The frozen foods needed to be kept at -20°C (-4°F) and the fresh meat at -1.7°C (+29°F). Therefore, it was essential that accurate temperature records be maintained during shipping until the products reached their destination.
Installation
The slaughterhouse placed Cydiance Lorca Temperature logger/transmitter for each shipment inside the transport vehicle. The Lorca’s internal temperature sensor operated at a range of -20°C (-4°F) to 60°C (140°F), monitoring at a resolution of 0.01° and with a high accuracy of ±0.5°C (1.0°F). The Lorca has built-in communications using cellular networks, which also provides LBS, location-based service position tracking. Both the temperature and position data is transmitted to a cloud server over the cellular network allowing remote monitoring of the shipment.
The cloud interface displays the highest, lowest and average temperatures as well as the mean kinetic temperature calculation together with a map display of the route.
For long hauls, the temperature logger could store up to 100 days of data at 15-minute sample intervals. Slaughterhouse management can download the historical record of the temperatures and the route taken after deliveries to ensure best practices were followed.
Usage
The Cydiance Lorca served as a solution for the slaughterhouse, featuring local LED display to indicate operation and an LED to indicate if a temperature excursion occurred. The Lorca was a durable solution at a small size; 85 x 59 x 25.
Slaughterhouse management also utilized the data logger’s Cydiance Cloud Tracking Platform for remote monitoring and download, finding it to be intuitive and easy to use for setup and operation.
With immediate reading of minimum and maximum temperatures as well as the mean kinetic temperature, MKT and calculation, the cloud service provided management immediate feedback on the status of their shipments. Additionally, the Cydaiance software supported data transfer to generic formats such as Excel for quick accessibility and organization of the information. Users were also able to view real-time conditions through the website.
Benefits
The slaughterhouse benefitted from installing the Cydiance Lorca temperature loggers in all of their meat cold storage and shipments across several factors. The data loggers monitored the chilled food so management would know if the meat temperatures went out of specification, quickly identifying which parties were accountable. The results of the Cydiance Cloud Platform software’s MKT formula were recorded together with the temperature profile of the delivery, providing proof to third parties of the slaughterhouse’s correct procedures. This simple safeguard usually resulted in protection from lawsuits, prompt settlement of claims and negotiation with any liable processors, warehouses or shippers. Any conditions that had gone out of specification were also heavily inspected to optimize the integrity of the customer’s own cold chain, guaranteeing their high-quality product and reputation.
