Cold Chain Monitoring Devices

Cold chain monitoring devices are practically a necessity for any company that relies on cold storage to keep assets safe.

In industries such as healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and food safety, businesses are responsible for storing temperature-sensitive assets in the appropriate conditions. There are multiple ways to accomplish this — however, not every method is equally reliable.

One of the best ways to monitor cold storage temperatures to ensure the safety of the assets being stored is with a temperature monitoring device designed for cold chain management.

Manually monitoring the temperatures of your cold storage facilities is certainly possible, and this method may work just fine if your business is small and operations are not overly complex.

However, manual temperature checks are highly susceptible to human error. And as the regulatory environment becomes more demanding with increasing focus on temperature in both the Food Safety Modernization Act and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act.

It only takes one instance of misreading a thermometer or forgetting to log the data to allow temperature-sensitive assets to be ruined. Or for a regulator to ding your team with a potentially costly violation.

It’s usually much safer to rely on an automated temperature system that can monitor cold storage conditions continuously and alert the appropriate personnel to any urgent problems as soon as they occur.

When considering cold chain management best practices, it’s important to remember that there are multiple types of cold chains.

Each of these different types may require a slightly different approach to temperature monitoring.

For example, a vaccine cold chain could benefit from tools specifically designed for vaccine storage management like a vaccine vial monitor. Other kinds of cold chains might benefit from other varieties of cold storage tools like infrared thermometers.

Throughout the rest of this article, we’ll explore the importance of effective cold chain management and review some of the best tools for keeping temperature-sensitive assets safe from harm.

Vaccine Temperature Monitoring Devices

Vaccines are one of the most vital temperature-sensitive assets to protect — especially after a pandemic like 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak.

Vaccines are essential to modern healthcare, and allowing vaccine storage conditions to lapse could have disastrous consequences. There are myriad examples in the media of organizations that lost life-saving vaccines due to their improper cold storage or failure to adequately monitor and log the temperature integrity.

For this reason, companies that deal with vaccine storage in any capacity could likely benefit from reliable vaccine temperature monitoring devices.

One of the primary benefits of using a temperature monitoring device to keep your vaccine storage temperatures consistent is that it eliminates the risk of human error involved with manual temperature logging.

Even if your team is blessed with incredibly diligent staff who track temperature logs, key employees are always susceptible to missing logs due to holidays, sick days or natural disasters that can keep them from work.

When you rely on a human data logger for vaccine fridges or other cold storage facilities, there are a number of problems that can arise:

• Manual data logging creates a high risk of human error or neglect. Even CDC-approved data loggers can make mistakes from time to time.
• Manual temperature inspections are time-consuming and take personnel away from other essential tasks.
• Manual temperature inspections happen only periodically. It would be impractical and a waste of resources to have an employee assigned to constantly monitor storage temperatures. 
• Using a continuous temperature monitoring device that sends remote alerts can ensure you don’t miss a change in storage room conditions until after it’s too late.
  
  

Using a digital cloud-based continuous temperature monitoring system (rather tha a data logger)ger to track vaccine storage temperatures is generally the most effective method of keeping vaccines and other temperature-sensitive assets safe from storage condition fluctuations. 

It’s a good idea to check which temperature monitoring device is recommended by CDC for use in a vaccine storage unit before committing to a particular digital data logger.

 A CDC-compliant vaccine monitoring system like Sonicu is the best choice in most situations.

Room Temperature Monitoring Device

Using a room temperature monitoring device is one of the best ways to protect your assets in cold storage.

Sonicu’s temperature monitoring kits can keep your assets safe even if storage equipment fails or the facility loses power.

Thanks to our innovative approach to temperature monitoring that includes DataSync to capture and store information on our sensors/probes as well as a full year of battery powered backup, you can rest easy knowing your Sonicu system is engineered to handle unpredictable challenges like power or network outages.

However, there’s another bonus as well — doing away with manual temperature logging and switching to an automated temperature monitoring device can also help your company reduce expenses.

Let’s look at an example:

Say a company is currently using a manual temperature monitoring and logging procedure. This requires employees to divert time and attention toward periodic temperature checks.

Even worse, the company might assume temperature logging isn’t necessary because the freezer or refrigerator is reliable enough on its own.

However, no storage facility is completely immune to risk. The company in this example may experience a power outage or another issue and lose potentially life-saving drugs as a result.

Incidents like this are largely preventable.

Imagine this company had chosen to invest in a more effective temperature monitoring system, like a server room temperature monitoring device with a room temperature sensor app.

This way, they can access the room temperature sensor online.

In this scenario, the company can save money on labor costs by eliminating the time employees spend checking and logging temperatures. These employees can now focus on tasks that can’t be automated.

Software costs like Sonicu can be fixed over a longer contract period, also make them less subject to inflation and rising labor costs.


Plus, your storage temperature is better protected with a room temperature monitor.

Wi-Fi-enabled room temperature monitoring devices track storage temperatures continuously, not periodically like human workers.

In the second scenario, in which the company uses an automated, wall-mounted room temperature sensor, the risk of losing vaccines or other valuable assets due to temperature changes is much lower.

Temperature Monitoring Device For Fridge

Suppose your organization is responsible for storing any kind of assets that need to be kept at a specific temperature. 

In that case, you could benefit greatly from a fridge and freezer temperature monitoring system, such as a Bluetooth fridge temperature sensor. 

Remote fridge temperature monitoring is far more consistent than manual temperature logging. Additionally, a wireless refrigerator thermometer with app support like the SoniShield mobile app can ensure you remain up to date about critical issues in real-time

It can sometimes be challenging to choose the right kind of freezer temperature monitor for your company’s particular needs. 

However, the best wireless refrigerator thermometers include valuable features like advanced, tiered alarming, battery backup options, flexible transmission methods, and more. 

Let’s break down some of these essential features in a bit more detail:

Advanced Alarming 

Fridge monitoring systems that are connected to the cloud are able to alert personnel almost immediately when temperature problems arise. The best alarm systems can even recognize trends and use predictive algorithms for tailored alarming.

Sonicu also features alarm buffering and tiered alarms designed to reduce the dreaded alarm fatigue as well as ensuring the right people are alerted to an issue. And quickly. 

Automated Reporting

Using an automated walk-in cooler temperature monitoring system means you don’t have to rely on inconsistent manual reports. 

Temperature data is monitored continuously and logged automatically.

Thorough Security Measures

The best hospital refrigerator temperature monitoring systems include ample security features to protect the data transmitted to the cloud. The Sonicu system has evolved over the past decade the meet the stringent and exacting security requirements of the most demanding healthcare environments. 

Failsafes

Technology is inherently susceptible to power outages — unfortunately, that’s outside your control. However, a temperature monitoring system with a backup battery option can continue to monitor temperatures even in the event of a power outage. 

Sonicu’s SMART digital sensors can preserve and recover temperature data even if the transmission is interrupted, ensuring you don’t end up with gaps in your reporting.

Flexible Transmission Methods

A wireless temperature monitoring device can free you from server-based systems that require extensive time and attention from IT by enabling options for cellular, radio, Wi-Fi, or ethernet transmission.

Temperature Monitoring Device For Shipping

It’s important to maintain the proper conditions for vaccines and other temperature-sensitive assets throughout the entire cold chain from beginning to end — not just after it’s arrived at the storage location. 

The increasing federal regulation associated with drug and food supply chains are expected to include increased focus on temperature monitoring from end to end, not just during manufacturing or final storage before use. 

That’s why it’s a good idea to use a temperature monitoring device for shipping, as well. 

Luckily, a wireless temperature monitoring system can help you monitor temperature-sensitive assets along every step of the cold chain.

The highest-quality cold chain temperature monitoring devices can monitor storage conditions at every point in the supply chain. It’s essential that temperature-sensitive assets remain safe every step of the way, including while in transit. Improper storage anywhere along the way can severely affect the potency of a vaccine. 

Temperature monitors for shipping containers are necessary for maintaining proper conditions before the vaccines arrive at the storage facility.

There are five steps in the vaccine cold chain:

1. Manufacturing
2. Distribution
3. Arrival at provider facility
4. Storage and handling
5. Administration

If your organization is a provider of vaccines or other temperature-sensitive drugs, you are responsible for ensuring safe temperatures during the last three steps in the supply chain. 

Sonicu’s temperature monitoring kits are perfect for providers who need to monitor cold warehouses, walk-in coolers, or lab refrigerators.

Temperature Tracker For Shipping

Cold chain temperature monitoring devices should be set up to track temperatures throughout the whole cold chain, not just storage at the provider’s facility. 

It’s important to use a temperature sensor while the assets are transported. 

An automated temperature tracking device is one of the most effective tools for monitoring temperatures at any stage of the supply chain. 

There are many different kinds of temperature tracking devices, like micro GPS tracking devices. 

Here are some more specific benefits of using a wireless temperature sensor like Sonicu’s to monitor your cold storage conditions:

More Safeguards

A remote temperature tracker for shipping or storage can send alerts when there’s a problem with room conditions. If there’s no response, the alert will notify the next person in the communication chain until the issue has been addressed.

Easy to Deploy

Vehicle temperature monitoring systems are also relatively easy to deploy. You can install wireless sensors without IT support and have them up and running quickly.

Improve Analytics

Automated data logging means you get even more insight into your temperature data, allowing you to identify trends and potential problems earlier.

Cold Chain Temperature Monitoring

Clearly, it’s a good idea to prioritize cold chain temperature monitoring.

If there are any problems somewhere along the cold chain, vaccine temperatures can fluctuate and the vaccines could be ruined.

For example, if a provider doesn’t know or adhere to the correct cold chain temperature for polio vaccines or the correct cold chain temperature for COVID-19 vaccines, there could be disastrous consequences.

If someone is unaware of the proper temperatures for the assets they handle (such as a new employee who’s still in training), it could be helpful to consult a cold chain temperature chart.

You can also find valuable resources like case studies, data sheets, and blog articles about cold-chain monitoring best practices on Sonicu’s website.