Cold chain monitoring for retail store network

Problem

Grupo Bafar is one of the most popular food manufacturers and distributors in Mexico. The company experienced problems with the cold chain monitoring in retail stores.

• Malfunction of refrigerators often resulted in product loss. The company wanted to have full temperature information at their hands to be able to timely plan preventive maintenance for refrigerators or act in case of equipment failure.
• Each refrigerator was equipped with only one temperature sensor. To check the temperature, staff had to visit the refrigerators physically.
• Bafar also wanted to monitor the operators of the chilling and freezing chambers. Sometimes, they just forgot to close the refrigerator door or kept it open for too long. It often led to critical temperature changes.

Solution

The Wialon partner CTTMX, Mexico, armed Grupo Bafar with a temperature monitoring solution that allowed the company to ensure the cold chain in their retail stores.

• CTTMX equipped Bafar’s cooling and freezing chambers with Teltonika FMB125 GPS trackers and PUCK T ELA BLE temperature sensors. The sensors were installed in several parts of the refrigerators.
• PUCK MAG ELA BLE magnet sensors are used for detecting the events like opening/closing the doors. Alerts are activated in case the door is open for too long. 
• Reports provide the client with the data on how long the door remains open and how it influences the temperature inside the chamber.
• 12 VCC 3 A voltage regulators allow controlling the refrigerator power supply.
• The GPS tracker collects the data from the voltage regulators, BLE temperature and magnet sensors and transmits it to flespi. Then, the information is sent to the management system, where the client's employees can view it on the dashboard developed by CTTMX.
• flespi streams ensure continuous data flow from hundreds of devices (there are 300 units with several sensors installed in each) to the management platform.
• The specialists of the monitoring center generate maintenance reports. They also call the retail stores when they see that a door is open for too long.