Digital transformation solutions company UST has developed and installed its ‘Cold Truth’ temperature-tracking solution for Mydin, the Malaysian halal grocery chain, at a hypermarket in Bertam, Penang.

Cold Truth is a cloud-based solution that detects temperature fluctuations and sends an alert for quick action. It prevents wastage of products due to temperature fluctuation or freezer failure, leading to savings for retailers, a UST spokesman said.

Reducing food spoilage

It has helped Mydin reduce the risk of food spoilage and deliver consistent quality, leading to improvements in the grocer’s regulatory reporting and compliance, he added. Azmin Bin Saduruddin, Executive Director, Mydin Northern Region, said his company chose UST since the global corporation could provide the service it needed as a leading retailer.

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Probes are placed at various locations inside the refrigerator or freezer. Sensor nodes send alerts on fluctuations to the Cold Truth gateway built on an Intel NUC Kit with a Celeron processor.

The data is recorded on the cloud and the store manager is alerted. The data, retained in the cloud, is communicated on-demand to Malaysia’s governmental health inspectors and auditors.

Manual logging of data

Earlier, store maintenance staff had to check each sensor five times a day, exceeding the twice-daily checks required by law in Malaysia. This manual process was time-consuming and inefficient.

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Further, the mandatory temperature logs were susceptible to human error, increasing the risk that the store might fail an inspection and face significant penalties.

Intel hardware, software

Subhodip Bandyopadhyay, General Manager, Emerging Digital Technology, UST, said Intel has provided a selection of hardware and software platforms and engineering support during the product development phase. “Since we launched UST Cold Truth, its inclusion as an Intel IoT market-ready solution has helped us communicate the benefits to a wider audience.”

UST plans to expand the solution beyond retail stores to any venue or industry where temperature monitoring is a business-critical aspect, Bandyopadhyay added.

Gilroy Mathew, Vice-President and Head of Semiconductor, UST, said Cold Truth offers a cost-effective and time-saving solution. “New technology gives retailers shelf-level temperature readings to track equipment performance in real-time, reduce labour costs, and simplify compliances.”