A printing company Toppan, has designed a thin, card-shaped temperature logger label that enables temperature to be measured and recorded at regular intervals during transport and the data sent to a database via a wireless network.

Toppan a printing company, has developed a thin, card-sized temperature logger which can be attached to freight which will automatically record the surface temperature at an interval set by the shipper. This device has 22 options to select from when choosing an interval including once a second to once every 60 minutes, with the latter allowing the history of temperature changes to be recorded over a six-month period.

On this the senior R&D manager at Toppan’s security business Takamitsu Nakabayashi, commented, “This solution dramatically reduces the cost of managing and visualizing temperature during long-haul transportation. The lower price of individual temperature logger labels means that the number used can be increased to facilitate more detailed and accurate measurement. The solution is also easy to introduce because labels can be read with smartphones, expanding the scope of quality control to a wider array of settings. Going forward, we will also combine it with our existing ID authentication platform to deliver an end-to-end service for optimizing the entire supply chain, including elements such as product verification, traceability, and enhancement of customer touchpoints.” According to the company the device is also available with three temperature measurement modes. First mode is the “regular mode” which will record the date and time of the measurement on the IC chip, the second mode is “compressed mode” which will only records information on temperature while the date and time are added to the management system after the data is read and the third mode “limited mode” which will record the temperature according to the range classification such as ambient temperature, chilled or frozen, allowing the number of times information is recorded to be eightfold that of the “regular mode”.

Card

According to the company the device is also available with three temperature measurement modes.

Toppan says the temperature logger is available with two frequency bands: UHF, which facilitates communication over relatively long distances of about five meters and NFC, which is often included in smartphones. Toppan has developed an app to read data saved in temperature logger labels and a cloud-based management system that captures log data (e.g., record of date, time and temperature) which is visible for chronological tracking and management during transport. Toppan’s temperature logger label solution features a single-use battery and a smartphone app for adjusting settings.

According to the company, its simple structure and functions enable the label to be one-tenth the cost of existing temperature logging devices that include a control panel and assume the replacement of batteries. This cost savings also clearly allows Toppan temperature logger labels to be used in new ways, such as recording each container’s individual temperature change and one-way use where labels are not retrieved after the shipment gets completed, which is particularly suitable for temperature management over long distances like international shipping. According to Toppan, this will reduce the requirement of labour to retrieve the label after use.

Toppan

Toppan’s temperature logger label solution features a single-use battery and a smartphone app for adjusting settings.