Kronobergs Kylteknik sees great potential for Celsicom Easy Connect in the food industry. It is a very affordable extra safety measure for many different food companies, says refrigeration technician Marcus Danielsson. One of them is Lohilo, which uses two smart measurement boxes to monitor the company’s main freezer storage for protein ice cream, including the bestseller Damn.
– When we first heard about the Celsicom system, it seemed almost too simple to be true, says Caroline Andersson, Supply Chain Manager at Lohilo.
It is precisely the simplicity of installing and commissioning the measurement boxes, as well as the user-friendliness, that, according to Marcus Danielsson, makes Celsicom Easy Connect an appealing solution for many in the food industry. It is a target group that he and his colleagues at Kronobergs Kylteknik know well. Almost half of their refrigeration projects are for food customers.
– Celsicom Easy Connect is perfect for small and medium-sized food companies that need to monitor around 10–15 objects to detect rising temperatures. For example, a restaurant can quickly and easily monitor their refrigeration and freezer rooms where their valuable inventory is stored. For restaurants, it also simplifies self-monitoring, which requires them to check and record temperatures in all refrigeration and freezer spaces once daily. With Celsicom Easy Connect, they only need to review the logging history.
Extra security with SMS alarms
That the measurement boxes are, as mentioned, easy to install is a point Marcus emphasizes several times during the conversation. Since the boxes transmit all data independently, there is no need to access the customer’s WiFi network, which is advantageous as more companies are becoming restrictive about allowing external actors into their networks.
One or more measurement boxes can also be added to an existing control system as an extra security measure, sending automatic SMS alarms if specified threshold values are exceeded. Furthermore, and importantly, Celsicom Easy Connect is a very cost-effective solution, Marcus Danielsson underscores.
– Additionally, you get a lot of value for your money. For example, two Celsicom Easy Connect boxes cost just under 40 SEK per month. Alternative monitoring solutions on the market are significantly more expensive.
It was the low cost combined with simplicity that caught Lohilo’s interest. The company, whose headquarters and warehouse are located in the logistics area of Nylanda just outside Växjö, Sweden, markets protein ice cream that has garnered significant interest both in Sweden and countries like Finland, the UK, and China. The ice cream is produced by external manufacturers and then stored in Lohilo’s large freezer facility, which includes a deep storage area with 1,200–1,400 pallet spaces and a picking area with approximately 100 pallets.
“We get a good overview”
– It is extremely important for us to have good control of our temperatures, says Caroline Andersson, Supply Chain Manager at Lohilo.
Caroline explains that Lohilo previously had a monitoring system with a contact card solution, but found it somewhat cumbersome and decided to look for a smoother solution. Lohilo contacted Kronobergs Kylteknik, which presented several systems, though many involved rather costly installations and were therefore not feasible.
– Then they suggested Celsicom Easy Connect, which was a very simple solution that also didn’t involve significant costs for us. We get a good overview with everything collected in one place, with access to both historical data and live temperatures.
Celsicom Easy Connect is especially valuable to Lohilo right now as they are working toward certification to meet the criteria for the BRC Storage and Distribution standard, where, indeed, continuous temperature monitoring is a key requirement.
What is the optimal temperature for storing ice cream?
– The temperature in the ice cream storage should ideally be around minus 23 degrees Celsius. That’s when the ice cream is at its best and retains all its properties. It is said that ice cream melts at minus 18. It doesn’t become bad then, but if the temperature remains there for a while or even becomes slightly warmer, ice crystals can form, which reduces the quality of the ice cream.
Lohilo has set the alarm threshold at minus 18 degrees Celsius. If the temperature reaches this value, Celsicom Easy Connect immediately sends an alarm to both Caroline and Kronobergs Kylteknik, so the issue can be quickly addressed to prevent the warmer temperature from affecting the ice cream.
How are your ice creams performing in the market?
– We have experienced very steady and high growth for our protein ice creams. Especially for our bestseller Damn, which is a vanilla ice cream with caramel pieces and a chocolate coating, says Caroline.
She explains that the demand for Damn is so high that it barely stays in the freezer before it’s sent out for delivery to stores across the country. Besides being incredibly tasty, more and more people are drawn to the fact that it’s healthy and high in protein.
– Damn and our other ice creams are sold in smaller packages. The idea is that you can almost eat one ice cream a day without feeling like you’ve had something unhealthy. Furthermore, our ice creams also include beneficial ingredients like collagen, which is good for skin and hair.
Ice cream that’s good for both the inside and the outside – the recipe for Lohilo’s success.
* English for “damn.”
