There is no doubt that many people not familiar with cold chain monitoring may think of maintaining a cold chain from manufacturer to supplier is just about maintaining and monitoring the temperature in the trucks that ship the goods. Certainly, this is a vital aspect of cold chain monitoring, but there are also extended periods in which goods need to be maintained at certain temperatures prior, during and after transit.

This article, thus, reviews temperature maintenance and monitoring in cold storage – a vital part of the whole cold chain sequence.

Types of Cold Storage 

Just like your small fridge/freezer combination at home, these are also (but just on a much larger scale) the two primary types of cold storage facilities – some for freezing and some for standardised refrigeration. 

Freezing Chambers which are sometimes referred to as ‘negative temperature refrigeration chambers will generally have an average range between 0ºC and -28ºC, and even sometimes lower. These are utilised for food freezing or the preservation of biological material. We all remember the extremely low temperature at which the vaccines had to be maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic, illustrating that accurate cold storage temperature control can be a life-or-death scenario.

Refrigeration, or ‘positive temperature refrigeration chambers’ on the other hand generally maintain a temperature of between 10ºC and 0ºC and are mainly used to store fresh produce.  

Cold Storage Areas

A few of the key areas that have to be rigidly temperature controlled would be; 

• Static fridges and freezers;
• Commercial fridges and freezers display units;
• All sizes and types of refrigeration units, which include walk-in fridge and freezer, cold rooms;
• Refrigerated containers;
• Fridge-freezer-container combo;
• Blast freezers;
• Server and generator rooms;
• Green and hothouses;
• Wine cellars and tanks;
• Any type of temperature-sensitive application.
• So, how is the correct temperature maintained and monitored in a cold storage environment? 

Cold Storage Monitoring

The core focus should always be on real-time cold chain monitoring as provided by businesses such as  Cold Watch. We provide solutions carefully designed in collaboration with client-specific requirements. These requirements comprise the monitoring of temperature, humidity measuring, open or closed-door notifications, customised warnings and alert notifications to name a few.

We have several state-of-the-art products such as custom-designed and manufactured temperature probes and high-accuracy humidity sensors all with amazing features that allow us to set, maintain and monitor cold room temperatures accurately and constantly. 

Cold Storage Maintenance

Cold Watch is one of the premier cold chain monitoring and management companies in South Africa and one of our specialised services is the maintenance of cold storage facilities. We are dedicated to maintaining software and hardware components during the contract period. Software updating will be carried out remotely when required without inconveniencing the client. In the event of a breakdown or damage to a Cold Watch system, repairs will be carried out by a certified Cold Watch subcontractor in the most appropriate time frame possible.

Whether it is the control of temperature on the move or in the storage environment Cold Watch has you covered so talk to us today about your specific cold chain monitoring and management requirements and let us introduce you to our extensive range of products and services.

If you are travelling to a holiday getaway soon, you will not need us to monitor your journey but please stay cool and drive safely!

It is great when there are benefits derived from unexpected sources. For example, one does not necessarily think of cold chain monitoring experts as being people who would assist logistics companies with vehicle and fuel tracking but due to the massive advancements in the technologies employed by some of the top cold chain monitoring companies cold chain monitoring can even assist logistic companies to reduce fuel consumption!

Why is it important?

Cold chain monitoring is in essence a part of supply chain management when referring to the transportation of cold chain products such as fresh foods, certain chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Supply chain management is a crucial part of logistics (in fact it is often categorised under logistics) and because fuel makes up a large part of this, fleet owners and fleet controllers need to make sure that they have a fault-free fuel tracking system to track their fuel as efficiently as possible. 

The benefits of this are numerous and can even save a business from losing essential clients. Apart from the obvious financial savings, monitored fuel usage can sound a warning bell to fleet owners about anything out of the ordinary in the fleet, like an inefficient vehicle, driver pilferage, or drivers that are wasting fuel through poor driving habits.

Even more importantly, it acts as an emergency warning to fleet owners if a vehicle is running so low on fuel that it may not reach its intended destination at all, thereby giving them time to make alternative arrangements. This is particularly important when transporting any form of cold chain produce or products!

Where does cold chain monitoring come into it?

Sophisticated equipment is required to produce the most effective cold chain solutions, particularly in the transport sector, and advanced vehicle tracking devices are available from companies on the cutting edge of cold chain monitoring and management such as Cold Watch real-time monitoring. 

Devices, like our ‘Mobile vehicle tracking unit,’ which is a customised monitoring unit for mobile vehicle applications, not only monitor the temperature and whereabouts of vehicles in transport but also fuel tracking to ensure that the loss of fuel can never compromise the timeous delivery of the load.

Hence, given the massive fuel price hikes in recent times, one of the most important savings in the trucking industry is that of fuel, and this is yet another benefit of the superior technologies provided by Cold Watch.

Talk to us today about cold chain monitoring and management. Whether your requirements are in storage, on the road, or both, we have the technology that assures freshness and the correct temperature are always maintained both before and during the delivery of your produce. The benefits are great – even unexpected benefits like cold chain monitoring assisting logistic companies to reduce fuel consumption!