Hungary Unilever applies RFID temperature sensing technology to manage ice cream cold chain logistics
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As we all know, Unilever is the world’s largest manufacturer of ice cream, frozen food, tea and soap, the world’s second largest manufacturer of toothpaste and soap, and the world’s third largest manufacturer of hair care products. In terms of the circulation process of ice cream, efficient cold chain logistics has become a powerful guarantee for maintaining the quality of ice cream.
Beginning in July 2007, Unilever Hungary began to try to apply passive RFID temperature sensing technology to track and manage ice cream cold chain logistics, covering everything from raw material refrigerator inventory to manufacturing plants to distribution centers to retail stores. process.
Montalbano Technology’s MTsens temperature sensor RFID tag
MTsens temperature sensor RFID tag
If the temperature of ice cream during transportation is higher than minus 18 degrees Celsius (RFID radio frequency bulletin: about minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit), the quality of ice cream cannot be fully guaranteed. If the temperature rises greatly, the ice cream will directly deteriorate, leading to serious economic losses. From the manufacturing stage of ice cream to the stage of consumption, it may go through about 10 circulations. Therefore, ice cream manufacturers must find a way to effectively track inventory and control the environmental conditions of transportation.
Hungary Unilever finally chose the MTsens temperature sensing RFID tag from Montalbano Technology, Italy, to integrate it into the original continuous quality control life cycle management system, and completed the RFID tag inspection in Veszprem as scheduled. And the performance test of temperature sensor, obtained first-hand application data and practical experience of RFID technology and temperature sensing technology; for example, how to deal with the temperature breakpoint problem that occurs when ice cream products are loaded and unloaded when using trucks.
Hungary Unilever applies RFID temperature sensing technology to manage ice cream cold chain logistics
In the process of RFID system deployment and application, end users-Hungary Unilever, RFID system integrator-Allami Nyomda, and RFID hardware equipment supplier-Montalbano Technology joined forces. In July and August 2007, they invested in each Jointly launched an RFID pilot project. MTsens is a battery-assisted passive (BAP) RFID tag with a built-in temperature sensor that can be attached to the box. One pallet (RFID radio frequency bulletin note: using barcode management system) can place 60 boxes, each box must be affixed with an RFID sensor tag, and collected and distributed in the distribution center, each box has an RFID tag All are uniquely associated with the corresponding customer. MTsens sensor tags are also affixed to 40 ice cream refrigerators in several retail stores. In the initial stage of testing, 60 labeled containers storing ice cream finished products were shipped out of the manufacturing plant, shipped to the distribution center of Unilever’s country, to the distribution center of each retailer, and finally to 40 stores. retail store. The container entertainment is read twice during transportation-when leaving the manufacturing plant, and when the retail store returns the container to the Unilever distribution center. The purpose of reading the cargo label information is to collect the temperature data periodically recorded by the temperature sensor (RFID radio frequency bulletin: record once every ten minutes), and to determine whether the temperature sensor label can work normally in a low-temperature freezing environment.
RFID Radio Frequency Newsletter uses MTsens as an example to explain the working principle of the “BAP” tag. Passive RFID tags are battery-assisted, only to collect and store temperature data, and the tags are only read during data transmission. The writer is activated. The “BAP” tag generally works in the high frequency (13.56 MHz) frequency band, following the ISO 15693 standard, collecting and storing temperature data information according to the set program rate.
The short-range RFID reader is also provided by Montalbano to initialize, activate and sleep temperature-sensitive tags, and read temperature data history. Tests have shown that the MTsens label does not have any interruption in the continuous temperature recording of the ice cream logistics process. MTsens can work normally at minus 30 degrees Celsius, and can record 400,000 pieces of temperature data in total.
According to reports, with the continuous improvement of RFID hardware and software testing results and the continuous decline of tag prices, Unilever plans to formally deploy an RFID temperature sensor tracking system in the next few years, which can provide real-time information on changes in the temperature conditions of ice cream storage environments.
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