Temperature Monitoring System Revamped With Automation
Historically, Lindy’s relied on small thermometers mounted on support columns to keep track of the temperature in their cold storage. Several times a day, someone had to walk around the refrigerated warehouse, collecting data by hand and then manually entering the information into the company’s quality system. Not only was this time consuming, but the small thermometers weren’t very accurate, leading to higher than expected temperatures. They were also mounted primarily for convenience in reading, rather than placed optimally in the freezer, and were prone to being bumped by forklifts.
Lindy’s knew it was time to revamp how they monitored freezer temperature when they began implementing a new quality system with extensive documentation requirements. Cross Company was selected for the project because the management team had past positive experience working with Cross for precision measurement solutions.
Cross Company’s custom engineering department designed a real-time air temperature monitoring system, which included four probes, custom software with graphing capability and alerts via phone, text and email. It is accurate to within ±0.3°F and also records real time humidity and dew point. Said Mike Karn, Lindy’s Vice President of Operations, “It is one of the most valuable tools we have.”
Mike points to three main benefits Lindy’s has realized from the new Cross system:
1. Labor savings:
It is operated remotely, at anytime from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Not only does Lindy’s not need people to go into the freezers daily to check the temperature, but during downtime and holidays they don’t have to hire additional resources to monitor it.
2. Regulatory compliance:
The system automatically reads and records the temperature every second, which keeps auditors happy. And if there is an event, it documents when the corrective action was implemented and how it is working. Christie’s Cold Storage also benefits from the extensive paper trail for its clients.
3. Troubleshooting:
Lindy’s actively reviews the temperature, humidity, and dew point logs for signs that the freezer is malfunctioning. For example, if a compressor goes down, the system shows exactly when it failed, pointing the way to a reason for the failure. Similarly, a gradual rise in temperature may indicate a door malfunction or issues with other hardware.
“If we did not have that system, there’s a potential loss of finished goods inventory,” said Mike. Cross’ system has also stood up to the harsh environment of Lindy’s massive freezer. Not only is the freezer extremely cold, but the humidity can adversely affect any equipment there in the long term.
Mike said in the two years since the system has been up and running, he’s only had to replace on fuse. Overall, Mike and Lindy’s Ice were pleased with Cross. “I would absolutely recommend Cross Company,” he said, “The service was good and the product is excellent.”
