Oct 16 2012
BT9 today introduced Xsense®, a premier end-to-end cold chain management system that ensures all stakeholders in the cold supply chain, have full transparency and control over their perishables, anywhere in the world, at any given time.
The automated analytics generated by the BT9 Xsense system, in tandem with BT9's expert research and consulting services provide customers the tools they need to identify chronic cold chain problems and take corrective actions to reduce waste and improve quality, overall performance and profitability, and deliver consumers food and pharmaceuticals in optimal condition.
“We created the Xsense system in response to the food industry’s lack of real-time and early warning capabilities for consumable perishables,” said Israel Ben-Tzur, CEO of BT9, Ltd. “Xsense goes far beyond conventional data logger products by providing detailed analytics and expert consulting to enable all stakeholders in the cold supply chain to better understand, track and mitigate the risks associated with breaches of temperature and relative humidity.”
Traditional cold chain monitoring systems measure each separate leg in a product's journey from the manufacturer's plant to the retail store, but BT9 offers a holistic approach to cold chain management. BT9 proactively monitors, analyzes and disseminates relevant data and then supplements the data with expert recommendations on how to manage products based on the collected information, assuring the viability of the product's desired environmental conditions from start to finish. BT9 also offers, along with its strategic partners, a number of innovative, complementary solutions, such as sophisticated container designs and modified atmosphere packaging to further maximize efficiencies in the supply chain.
“Maintaining the integrity of our specialty produce is essential to the growth and well-being of our company, our customers and the consumers,” said Rod Bernard, Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance at Southern Specialties, based in Florida. “BT9’s Xsense system provides us with continuous, wireless data and analysis of temperature fluctuations throughout our supply chain so we can proactively address problems before they affect product quality.”
Temperature management can have an array of different impacts on what is the optimal nature of a product in each industry sector. For example:
- Globally, 30% - 50% of perishable and temperature-sensitive produce is wasted because of improper handling.
- Freshness and taste of milk and dairy products is usually optimal at 0°- 4 °C (32°- 36° Fahrenheit) and anything above or below changes the perceived quality as well as ongoing viability of the product.
- For ice cream, any deviation in temperature with a warming from -18 °C (0.4° Fahrenheit) and upward may result in irreversible quality damage to the ice crystals.
- Improper meat/seafood handling has dramatic health risks resulting from contaminants (pathogens), such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Vibrios and Clostridium (among others).
- The integrity and efficacy of pharmaceutical products can be directly impacted by temperature variations.
In each sector, BT9 experts look at the variations in the cold chain and give specific recommendations to the impact of temperature data in regards to health, quality and viability of products at all steps in the process. More than just providing sensor information, BT9’s solution gives context and recommendations of what to do with the information generated in the cold supply chain process.
BT9’s solution is powered by Xsense’s HiTag sensors, which are highly regarded as a leading offering within both the food and pharmaceutical industries, where temperature control is critical to the integrity of products and human safety. The Xsense technology was launched as a development project by StePac, L.A., in 2007. BT9 spun out of StePac in 2012 to incorporate the innovative Xsense System into a complete management offering focused on the unique challenges of cold supply chain.