Your fleet needs to monitor frozen goods to make sure they reach their destination without being compromised. In the case of medical supplies, keeping certain substances cold can be a matter of life & death. In the food industry, keeping produce frozen is an issue of quality and brand reputation.
According to Grand View Research, the South African frozen food market was valued at approximately $4.6 billion in 2023. It's projected to grow to about $5.8 billion by 2030! It's a massive industry, and reputation plays a large role in the public's view of which companies can be trusted, and which can't.
At Cartrack we’ve partnered with countless fleet companies that require their goods to stay cold or frozen while in transit. If you haven’t jumped onto this technology yet, here are some reasons why you should.
Temperature monitoring is essential when transporting frozen goods in South Africa because of our warm climate. It’s also important because certain goods get compromised easily if they rise above or drop below a certain temperature. For some medical logistics, this is a fine line that must be maintained, not to mention the importance in meat & produce.
Industries where temperature monitoring is important include:
Accurate monitoring keeps goods safe, compliant, and high quality.
If your fleet transports these types of goods, you’ve probably experienced lost stock due to broken refrigeration units, or truck doors that’ve opened too often. Monitor the temperature of your frozen goods to prevent this in future.
It goes without saying that food must be kept cold while it’s being driven across the hot South African roads in the middle of summer. Consistency of temperature is key here, which is why temperature and door sensors are a must-have.
The healthcare industry relies on medications staying cold to maintain their integrity and effectiveness. If a batch of medication goes stale, it can have life altering consequences for those who rely on it.
Blood, organs, and samples used for tests and research must often be moved from one facility to another. These MUST stay at a certain temperature to not become compromised.
Dairy is a huge part of South Africa’s agricultural industry. Getting milk to the stores where all of us buy it takes industrial and vehicle refrigeration to keep it fresh and prevent spoilage.
Certain chemicals must also be kept at low temperatures, or they might become unstable (and even cause explosions or corrosion).
The risks of not monitoring frozen goods in your fleet vehicle are vast, and include:
Compliance, reputation, and profit are at the heart of this requirement.
Here’s a quick overview to see how NOT monitoring frozen goods affects different kinds of businesses:
Get in touch with Cartrack to get a free consultation on how exactly this works!
During road transport, frozen goods must maintain a temperature range of minus eighteen to minus twenty degrees Celsius. This is the requirement for thawing prevention, and to maintain the quality as best you can. Trucks often use temperature-controlled units to maintain this range, but even these are not a guarantee.
So how do you guarantee that your goods stay frozen while in transit?
Contingency plan #1: Use a temperature-controlled unit to begin with. Educate your staff on how these units work, what they must do to keep them working, and what they should avoid doing to compromise your goods.
This unit should work in tandem with a GPS tracker with a temperature sensor to ensure your goods are consistently monitored.
Contingency plan #2: Set up real-time alerts that monitor the temperature of your goods. These alerts will immediately tell you when your goods are rising above the required temperature—even if it’s only one degree!
Contingency plan #3: Use Cartrack’s door sensors to monitor how many times the unit’s door is opened. This is how temperatures begin to slowly rise in the unit, so you can get alerted if it happens too often and call your staff to rectify the problem.
The Foodstuffs, Cosmetics, and Disinfectants Act (Act 54 of 1972) and its regulations, along with the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) guidelines, set standards for temperature control, vehicle insulation, and hygiene. These departments make sure your food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals are maintained and safe when you finally use them.
Load-shedding in SA has caused and does cause spoilage when it comes to refrigerated goods. Not only does it strain your equipment, but it also leads to wear & tear, raising your maintenance needs. Companies often invest in backup power sources to maintain the cold chain, but these solutions can be costly and won't always stop these risks completely.
The financial consequences for South African fleets when frozen goods spoil on their way to a destination are very significant. This is especially true if those frozen goods are the main income stream for the company. It not only wastes fuel, but also affects the reputation of the fleet company concerned.
The benefits of historical temperature logs for frozen goods in SA is that they provide a detailed record of the cold chain. This helps you to identify and address potential issues—perhaps even prevent them. They also ensure compliance with regulations, and assist in quality control. These logs are necessary for audits, customer assurance, and the integrity of any perishable goods.
Keep your cold chain safe and compliant. Learn why real-time frozen goods monitoring helps South African fleets cut losses and protect product quality.
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