New System Monitors, Controls, and Reports Critical Control Point Parameters for RPC Cleaning & Sanitation
IFCO has announced the global launch of its proprietary SmartGuardian™ technology to monitor and control IFCO’s RPC sanitation process, helping to ensure adherence to the company’s strict global hygiene and sanitation standards at each of its 60+ wash facilities worldwide. SmartGuardian is an integrated software and hardware system which was developed by IFCO and CM Automation specifically for IFCO’s processes and equipment, making IFCO the first and only RPC provider with this technology.
SmartGuardian strengthens IFCO’s global sanitation process standards, which include state-of-the-art cleaning and drying equipment and Diversey™ detergents and disinfectants from Sealed Air, who ensures the hygiene of all IFCO RPCs washed with Diversey detergents and disinfectants through an integral cleaning and sanitation program. In addition, IFCO’s standards include critical control point parameters including water pressure and temperature, contact time, and detergent concentration.
“The deployment of SmartGuardian in our service centers demonstrates IFCO’s commitment to providing our customers with the best container solutions for fresh foods,” said Wolfgang Orgeldinger, CEO of IFCO. “This new technology is a significant investment for our company and will help make our global sanitation processes even more rigorous by tracking our cleaning parameters on a continual basis.”
SmartGuardian ensures the RPC cleaning process meets IFCO’s strict global hygiene and sanitation standards by monitoring detergent and disinfectant concentrations, water temperature, and pump pressure during RPC washing and providing pallet-level reporting of those parameters. If at any time one of the critical wash parameters become inconsistent with IFCO’s standards, SmartGuardian halts the process and alerts company personnel. Processing will not resume until IFCO experts diagnose the problem and bring the system back into compliance.
In addition to critical wash parameters, SmartGuardian also monitors and records the consumption of water, gas and electricity, to help IFCO continue to reduce natural resource consumption and impact on the environment.