The cold chain is the temperature controlled supply chain that brings us precious commodities like fresh food and medical supplies that require refrigeration during production, transit, and storage. Failure in this machine-rich infrastructure means service interruption and product loss, which is not only expensive, but lamentable, considering the importance of the product itself. For example, a third of the world’s food goes to waste, and much of that can be attributed to improper refrigeration in transit.

Fortunately, that risk can be mitigated and efficiency can be improved with proper monitoring and environmental control using an Internet of Things (IoT) solution. Dell’s proposed solution, as outlined in their Cold Chain Logistics Solution Brief, is to monitor assets, such as refrigeration components, to detect and identify the solution to asset failures. In the event of a failure, a service order can automatically be dispatched to a contractor and, once the repair is complete, the IoT layer can assess the repair and approve payment to the contractor. Such an IoT solution could also give distributors access to real time temperature data, runtime capacity, and shipment locations – it could even adjust cooling to product type and volume – resulting in greater energy efficiency and improved product quality.

To find out more about Dell’s IoT cold chain solution, check out their Cold Chain Logistics Solution Brief.