Technology Snapshot: Tracking temperatures of sensitive products enroute to its destination is now more accurate, easy and reliable with the introduction of LOG-IC 360 Bluetooth Data Logger by American Thermal Instruments.

Manufactured in the United States and backed by ATI’s 37-year expertise in temperature-monitoring devices, the addition of Bluetooth technology provides multiple advantages for the cold chain system worldwide.

During transport, products such as food and beverages, medical devices and pharmaceuticals no longer need to be opened (be it a box, a truck or even a shipping container). The LOG-IC 360 BT electronic data logger is less than 2 inches by 3 inches wide and can read individual temperatures up to 300 feet from the unopened product. The lithium coin cell battery has a minimum one-year capacity, a temperature range of -20°C to 70°C. and relays the critical data to Android, iOS or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. High precision temperature accuracy is ± 0.25°C., compared with other industry suppliers at ± 0.50°C. The LOG-IC 360 BT logger tracks a humidity range of 0-80% RH with communication certifications which include FCC, CE and NIST platforms.

“At the very beginning stages of product development, we put a priority on the various needs of our customers. We plan to advance the technology as fixed asset monitoring with our added app technology,” says Rob Snyder, technology director of ATI. The LOG-IC 360 BT features an easy-to-read LCD screen, is programmable for up to four distinct alarms and is scalable for temperature/humidity readings.

Such data can be viewed using ATI’s exclusive DataNow Cloud service and mobile applications, which make the readings available to anyone of interest. Any “excursions” (thermal alarms) will display when and for how long the product was not in range of acceptable temperature and humidity levels.

“Since the FDA and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) can audit temperature records at any time, the customer today looks for an automated record and distribution system,” explains Randall Lane, chief strategy officer for ATI. “Shipments are tracked direct to store and through various distribution channels. Customers want to quickly connect to their temperature data and immediately determine if the product may have been exposed to critical temperatures. Bluetooth technology streamlines this process for our customers and saves them time and money, and also allows them to assume responsibility more accurately,” Lane added.

Over the past decade, many regulations have been set or modified regarding temperatures and the monitoring of goods moving through the cold chain. The LOG-IC 360 BT logger was designed to help verify compliance throughout the entire distribution channel, and the critical temperature and humidity data can be shared with key decision-makers.

Recognizing that temperature and humidity excursions will occur, LOG-IC 360 BT logger provides the critical information the cold chain process needs to decide what to do when an excursion happens. The industry has the ability to identify where and when such excursions occur, troubleshoot potential problems areas in the supply chain and take action to minimize financial risk to goods and reduce future risk. The LOG-IC 360 BT logger provides accurate temperature and humidity readings along with safe, secure data retrieval and storage.