CAS DataLoggers recently provided the temperature data logging system for a customer that produces whole frozen turkeys for sale in supermarkets.
Once frozen, the meat needed to be maintained at or below 0° F (–17° C) to avoid rapid spoiling and attendant health risks. Temperature levels often will vary across product in separate trucks—and even within the same trailer.
The company used to rely on manual temperature measurements upon delivery, but with regulations increasing along with receivers’ demands for documentation, management had a need for a reliable—yet low-priced—temperature monitoring and alarming system. The device would also need to feature online reporting capabilities to provide a quick way to generate detailed reports for receivers.
CAS DataLoggers provided a convenient standalone answer: 50 I-Plug-Plus USB temperature data loggers. Drivers placed the devices into their self-adhesive transparent pouches, which were affixed directly onto product pallets, two per shipment. Each data logger uses an internal sensor to monitor temperature within a range of –22° to 158° F (–30° to +70° C) at a high 0.5° C accuracy.
Each data logger’s quick push-button start makes operation easy, and their smart LEDs show temperature status at a glance. The temperature recorders have a sensor response time of 90 seconds. Unlike other single-use dataloggers, the I-Plugs are also equipped with a smart STOP button that sets the loggers to bookmark readings but keeps them recording until stopped or until reaching the end of their memory. This makes the loggers useful right up until the last mile.
The temperature logger’s 5,000-sample memory and one-year battery life enable extended trips or multiple shorter hauls. Sampling rate is user-selectable from one to 27 minutes depending on the number of days—for most shipments, they’re set to take a reading every 10 minutes. Their compact 7.5" x 4" x 0.5" size and 15-gram weight makes them easy to place and transport.
The data loggers only go into alarm status when the user-set temperatures are exceeded over a certain period of time. Alarm lights clearly show whenever product temperatures are OK, Over, or Under, so during stops, drivers can easily do a quick temperature check. The built-in USB interface simplifies downloading data to a PC so users don’t need a USB driver. Data loggers are recyclable, carry a one-year warranty, and also offer an optional Calibration Certificate online specifically for the food industry.
I-Plug Plus data loggers run on free software downloadable online from the manufacturer.
When loggers are finished recording, users plug them into a PC and use the software to download data, read it, and send it online in a database where it’s available for viewing in graph form by receivers. There’s no registration required or software drivers to install, and the process takes about 5 seconds. This saves receivers the trouble of e-mailing the data.
Upon arrival, users can adjust the time zone, which means receivers don’t have to spend time recalculating to local time. Data can also be read and sent to the Web using an Android tablet with a free app.
I-Plugs were an effective, low-priced solution for the supplier’s in-transit monitoring. Now drivers keep tabs on the product on the road and give proof of product quality to receivers. This electronically documented proof of quality leads to fewer shipments being rejected and helps confirm their good reputation. Using the included software, users print out reports showing all relevant data. Additionally, the direct-to-Web data transmission and traceability portal are convenient for tracking and tracing settings, graphs, and readings online.
For more information, contact a CAS Data Logger Applications Specialist at 800-956-4437 or visit the website at www.DataLoggerInc.com.
