Ensuring your products are the same top-quality from your facility to the end user is a common concern for many manufacturing companies. Often, if products deviate from specific environmental parameters the products can become spoiled or even deadly. Peace of mind on the conditions of products can allow your company to focus on other income generating aspects of business.
Merging Zebra Technologies dedication with TempTime® technology, companies can optimize operational efficiency while reducing the risk of product damage with more temperature and humidity monitoring options than before. Some of the most common industries that find it beneficial to use environmental monitoring devices include Cannabis, Pharmaceutical, and Food & Beverage. Take the following case studies into consideration.
Case Study: Cannabis Industry
In the cannabis industry, maintaining the perfect relative humidity (RH) is a delicate balancing act. The RH can impact the cannabis trichomes which house terpenes, the fragrant essential oils giving strains their signature tastes, scents, and effects of the cannabis. Overly dry environments will degrade cannabis ingredients while too moist of an environment can encourage mold and bacteria growth.
Problems with the quality of the cannabis can be especially problematic for people using medicinal cannabis with compromised immune systems. It can create more severe health problems then they already have. And for recreational users, it creates a lack of the flavor and smell which they paid for. Poor quality cannabis can impact a company’s reputation and income flow.
Cannabis manufacturers can personally manage environmental factors within their warehouses and packaging facilities. Once shipped out, humidity parameters could be breached, resulting in a bad shipment, product recalls, chargebacks, and a loss in profits. So how can they better monitor humidity parameters from their facility to the receiver besides using humidity packs?
The EDGETM W-200 is a wireless sensor that uses Bluetooth Smart technology. It can sense temperatures ranging -40°C to 100°C (-40F° to 212F°) and RH of 0-99% with up to 4,000 readings stored in the device. The devices can be paired with EDGEConnectTM to review and analyze data during shipping.
Case Study: Pharmaceutical Industry
Keeping pharmaceutical products at the correct temperature can be a challenge. Transporting pharmaceuticals from one facility to another requires monitoring of the products that are critical, such as vaccines. If during transit vaccines become exposed to incorrect temperatures, the products can undergo decomposition that can result in toxicity and even death.
Most pharmaceutical products can store at 2-8°C (36-46°F) while other goods need to be stored at -20°C (-4°F) to maintain the stability of the products. Temperatures can be controlled at manufacturing facilities, and even while crating for shipment. Once the shipment leaves the facility, the manufacturer can no longer control the environment and the unexpected can occur.
So how can the pharmaceutical manufacturer enhance safety measures to ensure their products are maintained at the appropriate temperatures? By incorporating products that are available at Zebra Technologies. Many clients will use a mixture of an electronic sensor within an entire shipping container, cards in individual containers, and/or labels on individual products.
Electronic sensors, such as the S-400 single or multi-use sensor or the M-300 or M-Reusable wireless sensor, can provide real-time information using mobile GPS devices within the sensors. The devices can send notification alarms when the temperature parameters are deviated from. These devices can be attached to the walls of the shipping container and both devices can store 16,000 data points.
Ready-to-Use Indicators can be placed directly onto a product with self-adhesive. These indicators can reveal temperature deviations to products exposed to excessive heat or freeze events and can improve process efficiency visually. Single or dual temperature sensitive cards can be placed inside packages or shipping boxes with visual indicators for if the products deviated temperature parameters.
By using a combination of products (electronic sensors and labels or cards), manufacturers can receive real-time information during shipping, shippers can determine when a product goes beyond parameters, and customers can visually see if the shipment is good or bad upon receipt.
Case Study: Food & Beverage Industry
In the past, the US did not always have the most stringent food production guidelines. Even with more protection laws established and some of the highest food safety standards in the world, the US Still sees many food recalls. Foods can be tainted with E. Coli, salmonella, listeria, and other contaminations during growing or processing. A quick search on the internet can lead to many horror stories.
These contaminations can make people sick or even lead to death. Recalls due to contaminations are a big enough worry for food and beverage manufacturers. So why make the worry worse by having to deal with potential environmental deviations during shipping that can cause products to spoil, resulting in illnesses or deaths?
As technology has advanced, the ability to recall specific items has become more efficient and quicker. Now, unsafe products can be stopped before hitting shelves by combining barcode labels with print-on-demand environmental indicators. Printable indicators can be easily added to existing workflows during barcode label printing, enabling greater insight into product details, including temperature deviations.
Another strong growing trend are the home delivery meal kits. In the past, it was a privilege to have specialty cut meats delivered right to your door. They would come in containers to keep items frozen, sometimes including dry ice. Now you can have entire meal kits delivered that include all the ingredients you will need, or even completely prepared meals that go from freezer, to oven, to table.
While most people rave about the products, there can be temperature control problems that occur during shipping and delivery. This can result in thawed and spoiled foods that your company must reimburse. When it becomes a recurring problem due to shipping conditions, it really affects your company reputation and profitability. What could you do to minimize this problem or ensure that it is in-fact a shipping problem?
Custom-built and ready-to-use indicators can help ensure your products are good upon receipt to the customer. Custom-built indicators come to your facility in a roll that is ready to be used when you need them. They do have to be stored at the required temperature conditions to ensure the integrity of the indicators.
Ready-to-Use indicators can be self-adhesive and attach directly to each product, or a card can be placed inside each container going out. The irreversible visual temperature indicators, such as the LIMITmarkerTM Threshold Indicator or TransTracker® Single and Dual Cards, provide peace of mind that it truly was spoiling during shipping.
Imprint Enterprises is the Trusted Partner to Get You Started
Zebra Technologies is an award-winning pioneer in leading edge technologies to help enable businesses intelligently connect assets, data, and people. Ensuring you have options to monitor the environmental stability of your products using labels, cards, and sensors is what makes Zebra Technologies the best in the industry.
Imprint Enterprises is a Premiere Solution Partner with Zebra Technologies. Their Specialists can help you find the options to suit your needs and prepare you for your future needs, while maintaining industry standards and ultimately increasing accountability and profits.
Stop relying on protective or qualified packaging and 3rd party monitoring that can still leave your customers wondering. If shipments are delayed, concerns about environmental deviations can be minimized with electronic sensors. Data can also be verified using different visual options, depending upon your company’s budget, complexity, and sustainability requirements.
Gain traceability and better insight into supply chain operations with the level of insight provided by Zebra Technologies temperature and environmental labels, cards, and electronic sensors. No matter your industry, gain some peace of mind on the environmental condition of your products through shipping.
Contact Imprint Enterprises today to discuss Zebra’s environmental label, card, and electronic sensor solutions that are best for you.
