ESCATEC is building nearly a third of a million temperature monitors a year for Berlinger & Co. of Switzerland. The monitors, which cost a few dollars each depending on the model, monitor the temperature of goods in transit and storage to ensure that they have not been subjected to temperatures that are outside of pre-set boundaries.
A key use is for medical supplies such as vaccines and drugs that can spoil if exposed to the wrong temperatures while in the logistics chain. This is particularly important for the "last mile" at the end of the distribution network, which may be in a rural location in the tropics where it is hard to ensure that storage temperatures are maintained. Other temperature-sensitive markets include foods such as ice cream and even beer. The devices are very small—similar to a stack of six or so credit cards, which means that they can be deployed covertly if required as a double check of the records of the logistics agent.
