Wireless Temperature Monitoring Cuts Cost Of Loading Refrigerated Trailer Trucks

Situation: Need for Lower cost and Higher efficiency
Vaughan Foods, Inc. operates as an integrated processor and distributor of refrigerated foods in the United States. Its products consist of fresh-cut vegetables, fresh-cut fruits, salad kits, prepared salads, dips, spreads, soups, sauces, and side dishes. The company offers custom vegetable mixes and custom sized produce cuts. Vaughan Foods, Inc. markets and sells its products to food service distributors, regional and national restaurant chains, and retail grocers.

Freshness has a major emphasis at Vaughan Foods. Their Grower Direct Program provides for the harvesting of produce and transport to their processing facility with maximum control and freshness. In all of their operations, the utilization of fresh, safe, quality ingredients are emphasized. The process of loading products into their fleet of refrigerated trucks requires that the trailers are pre-cooled to 37 °F (2.8°C). The penalty of loading foods into a warm truck means spoiled foods and shorter shelf life, and worse yet, customer rejection. Speed is essential in this operation.