Sensors save diner chain £1.25m of food in three days

Disruptive Technologies’ tiny sensors coupled with Infogrid’s AI platform saved money and food during the UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown when nobody else could be there.

Infogrid’s IoT smart building system, powered by Disruptive Technologies, the creator of the world’s smallest wireless sensors, have helped a global restaurant chain in the UK save £1.25m during the first COVID-19 lockdown. When the lockdown began in the UK, the chain lacked a way to remotely monitor freezers and refrigeration units. Without employees present to take daily health and safety temperature readings at their 100 restaurants they would have had no choice but to dispose of all food stock.

Within three days, the chain implemented the Infogrid cold storage solution powered by Disruptive Technologies sensors across all UK sites. The system automatically alerts regional managers when freezers malfunction or their temperature range falls outside of health and safety guidelines so that they can move food to a functioning unit. Not only has real-time data from IoT sensors helped reduce food waste but also has helped the restaurant to perform preventative maintenance. So far, the sensors have identified eight freezers that were not operating within the expected parameters and found unusual temperature incidents in five others. Thanks to the rapid installation and results, measures were taken immediately and both food and money were saved.

“Crisis averted thanks to Infogrid. I was so impressed at the speed and ease at which we were able to install sensors across every site and start collecting data. Not only did it save £1.25m of food stock, but it also helped us to manage our sites remotely during the lockdown, and automatically alerted us about multiple faults with our freezers,” a safety and risk manager at the global restaurant chain said.

Disruptive Technologies and Infogrid’s cold storage solution offer numerous innovative features:

• Tiny sensors that stick anywhere: 19 x 19 x 2.5mm
• 24/7 remote monitoring
• Real-time alerting to unusual freezer temperature activity and faults
• Plug and play sensors that require no technical knowledge
• End-to-end data encryption
• Sensors with up to 15 years of battery life
• Mechanically robust

“The Infogrid cold storage solution helps restaurants and stores of all sizes securely monitor their food stock remotely,” said Bengt Johannes Lundberg, CEO of Disruptive Technologies. “Our easy-to-use, best in class sensors provide immediate benefits in these turbulent times. Sustainability is a core value of DT and being able to fight food waste and save the end customer money is fantastic.

“The pandemic has impacted ‘business as usual’ for a multitude of companies, the restaurant industry in particular,” said William Cowell de Gruchy, founder and CEO of Infogrid. “Unforeseen issues arise in unprecedented times, and we are proud to offer smart building solutions, helping businesses navigate through this period. More than ever, it is important to fight food-waste and focus on sustainability, and without data or remote monitoring it is impossible for businesses to know what is going on inside their buildings during the lockdown.”