At its Neckarsulm headquarters, Kaufland is testing the smart logistics solution from Heidelberg-based start-up HyPrint for monitoring the cold chain. Smart, self-adhesive labels are used to gain insights into the temperature course in the cold storage rooms, as Lebensmittel Zeitung first reported.
In the Kaufland sample management and module hall, purchaser have the opportunity to check the product presentation. In addition, articles are tasted, photographed, measured and weighed. There, five HyPrint sensors were placed on the back walls of two refrigerated rooms. By measuring the temperature at close intervals over several weeks, a detailed temperature log was created. However, the evaluation of the test is currently still ongoing. If the results are suitable, Kaufland plans to use the temperature trackers permanently at its headquarters.
“We offer start-ups with good ideas the opportunity for a practical test, which of course also helps us. All the better if the whole thing is then beneficial to a good cause like supporting the food banks,” says Jonas Bezner from Kaufland Digital. Provided the cold chain has not been interrupted, Kaufland donates the goods used to the aid organisation, as is customary in the model store.
Monitoring the entire cold chain
According to the manufacturer, the smart logistics solution can monitor the cold chain throughout the entire delivery process – from production to transport to the branch. The labels are comparable in size to a business card, but 2 millimetres high. They contain a temperature sensor, a digital memory, a battery and NFC technology (Near Field Communication). The entire system consists of a label, app and cloud, in which real-time temperature values in the range of -25° to +70°C can be stored.
The printable sensors can be positioned flexibly – for example directly on the product, on the freezer, in the container, on the pallet or on the packaging. The time intervals for temperature measurement start from 15 seconds. The associated app reads out the resulting data on an NFC- capable device and pushes it into the cloud if required. Each label has a unique identifier. In this way, the HyPrint app generates a log of the temperature history for each individual tracker. The data can be exported in Excel or PDF format.
