Marcus Stacey-Bradbury of Hanwell Solutions explains how monitoring solutions can help to reduce temperature fluctuations in the supply chain.

Keeping tabs on storage conditions is essential to meet government legislation. Manual checks or data loggers only provide a retrospective view of what has happened; the damage may already be done. However, new wireless monitoring solutions can provide real-time data and early-warnings of potentially damaging environmental fluctuations, such as temperature and humidity.

Food hygiene laws are strictly enforced in the UK so educating food businesses on quality temperature control solutions is not a sales pitch but a necessity to ensure that they comply with BRC, HACCP, FSA and ISO 2200. Any of these authorities can turn up to conduct inspections, to check that the regulations are being complied with and the highest standards are in place, especially the environmental conditions for food items.

As regulation is a driver for improvement, monitoring storage conditions every minute, 24/7, 365 days a year provides an extra layer of protection for food products. Having well-documented records and data on how storage equipment is performing over a continuous period of time is a significant advantage that can save time, costs and of course reputation.

Real-time, wireless monitoring of the environment in which food is kept can protect against incidents, such as power cuts, fridge failures or doors left open. The uncertain British climate, which saw temperatures of up to 19°C in February this year before dipping to below freezing overnight, can also have an adverse effect on stored food products – even canned goods.

Whether storing meat, poultry, seafood or bread and cakes, ensuring temperatures are being maintained at the correct level is vital. The earlier a problem is picked up, the quicker it can be rectified. Relying on loggers and intermittent wireless equipment will not save money in the long term, but potentially lead to a financial hit, a health hazard and even a disastrous recall.

The latest wireless solutions are flexible so you can easily move or expand the number of sensors to ensure they are always in optimum position and to provide continuous output for consistent and accurate readings, wherever you are located.

Conversely, remote monitoring solutions can free up staff time by reducing the need for manual checks on storage conditions. Data can be automatically sent by email so that content cannot be tampered with resulting in a secure closed loop which ticks many boxes for the various regulatory authorities. It is important to have historical data in the right format so that when an inspector does come calling to do an audit, you can speed up the process by printing out the report. Every auditor is going to find something that needs addressing, that is their job, but good housekeeping can save time and hassle.

However, if you are a food manufacturer, distributor or retailer relying on the integrity of your supply chain, how do you know that all products reach you in their optimum condition – and, in fact, have remained that way throughout the journey?

Perhaps the biggest challenge in maintaining temperature integrity is when transporting from one distribution point to another location. Data loggers are typically used for delivery applications, providing data which then requires manual processing. Unfortunately, this data only shows a retrospective view and any damage from temperature fluctuation will already have occurred. In fact, it is quite possible that by the time the information is properly processed, the product may have already been sold and consumed.

This situation can be easily remedied, as there are many environmental monitoring solutions available which can provide better protection. However, the most effective and reliable are wireless transmitter-based solutions, rather than those using WiFi technology, which is not as reliable or far-reaching.

Hanwell Solutions 的 Marcus Stacey-Bradbury 解释了监控解决方案如何帮助减少供应链中的温度波动。

密切关注存储条件对于满足政府法规至关重要。手动检查或数据记录器仅提供所发生事件的回顾性视图；损害可能已经造成。然而，新的无线监控解决方案可以提供实时数据和潜在破坏性环境波动的预警，例如温度和湿度。

英国严格执行食品卫生法，因此对食品企业进行质量温度控制解决方案的教育不是推销，而是确保它们符合 BRC、HACCP、FSA 和 ISO 2200 的必要条件。这些机构中的任何一个都可以进行检查，以检查法规是否得到遵守以及最高标准是否到位，特别是食品的环境条件。

由于监管是改进的驱动力，因此每年 365 天、每天 24 小时、7 天每分钟监控存储条件为食品提供了额外的保护。拥有关于存储设备在连续一段时间内如何运行的详细记录和数据是一个显着优势，可以节省时间、成本，当然还有声誉。

对保存食物的环境进行实时无线监控可以防止发生意外事件，例如停电、冰箱故障或门开着。不确定的英国气候，今年 2 月的气温高达 19 ° C，然后在一夜之间降至冰点以下，也可能对储存的食品产生不利影响——甚至罐头食品。

无论是储存肉类、家禽、海鲜还是面包和蛋糕，确保温度保持在正确水平至关重要。越早发现问题，就能越快解决问题。从长远来看，依靠记录器和间歇性无线设备不会节省资金，但可能会导致财务损失、健康危害，甚至是灾难性的召回。

最新的无线解决方案非常灵活，因此您可以轻松移动或扩展传感器的数量，以确保它们始终处于最佳位置，并提供连续输出以实现一致和准确的读数，无论您身在何处。

相反，远程监控解决方案可以通过减少手动检查存储条件的需要来节省员工时间。数据可以通过电子邮件自动发送，这样内容就不会被篡改，从而形成一个安全的闭环，为各种监管机构打勾。拥有正确格式的历史数据非常重要，这样当检查员确实来电话进行审计时，您可以通过打印报告来加快流程。每个审核员都会找到需要解决的问题，这是他们的工作，但良好的内务管理可以节省时间和麻烦。

但是，如果您是一家依赖供应链完整性的食品制造商、分销商或零售商，您怎么知道所有产品都以最佳状态送达您——事实上，在整个过程中一直保持这种状态？

保持温度完整性的最大挑战可能是从一个配送点运输到另一个地点。数据记录器通常用于交付应用程序，提供需要手动处理的数据。不幸的是，该数据仅显示回顾性视图，温度波动造成的任何损害都已经发生。事实上，当信息被正确处理时，产品很可能已经被销售和消费了。

这种情况很容易补救，因为有许多环境监测解决方案可以提供更好的保护。然而，最有效和最可靠的是基于无线发射器的解决方案，而不是那些使用 WiFi 技术的解决方案，后者并不那么可靠或影响深远。