Digi International acquires FreshTemp and partners with Telus

By Joseph James Whitworth

- Last updated on GMT

Picture: iStock
Picture: iStock

Related tags Temperature

Digi International has purchased a provider of temperature monitoring and task management tools for the food industry.

The provider of machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity products and services said the acquisition would expand temperature monitoring to incorporate digital task management capabilities to replace manual logbooks.

FreshTemp’s core product line and task management capabilities will be made available through Digi Cold Chain Solutions.

Organizations will be able to streamline manual operational checklists and provide insight to managers on how teams are adhering to restaurant guidelines.

“We believe the cold chain market represents a large underserved market that can take greater advantage of wireless sensor networking and IoT capabilities,”​ said Ron Konezny, president and CEO, Digi International.

Digi Honeycomb is an automated food temperature monitoring service that alerts users if the proper temperature is not maintained.

Jeff Rieger, FreshTemp CEO, and employees will become part of the Digi Cold Chain Solutions team.

 “Together, we’ll be able to accelerate the adoption of our solutions and support the growing demand for technology that ensures businesses are serving safe and quality food,” ​he said.

Digi Honeycomb is being used in a number of quick service restaurants and the firm has established a partnership with Telus, a Canadian national telecommunications company.

It provides the hardware and software, including hand-held probes and wireless sensors that allow temperature data to be automatically collected, monitored, retrieved and integrated into existing back-office systems.

The wireless sensors can be placed where food temperature monitoring is required and automatic alerts can be set for types of temperatures (e.g., frozen, refrigerated, ambient, hot-holding, etc.) that trigger warnings whenever exceptions occur.

“Temperature-controlled transportation and storage of perishable items is crucial to the reputation of any food-service brand. Nothing can be more damaging to a business than food-safety issues, however monitoring, logging and reporting temperatures can be extremely labour intensive​,” said Michael Cihra, Telus VP of Internet of Things and emerging markets.

Digi Honeycomb will be offered through the Telus IoT Marketplace as a monthly billable service.

Related topics Food Safety & Quality

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