Category: Boxed wireless & industrial networking

At Alpha Micro, we work closely with our suppliers to deliver smart, effective solutions to real-world problems. This case study highlights how one of our partners, RAKwireless, helped a national food manufacturer eliminate costly condensation issues in their warehouses using wireless sensor technology distributed by Alpha Micro.

The Challenge: Controlling Condensation in Sensitive Environments

The client, a food manufacturer with warehouse facilities located across the country, must maintain the right climate inside their warehouses due to the perishable nature of their products. However, they were facing significant issues with condensation, which was causing:

• Rust, rot and mold that damaged goods and increased waste

• Temperature and humidity fluctuations impacting product quality

• Equipment failures due to excessive moisture

• Inefficiencies from manual environmental monitoring

These problems were not only increasing operational costs but also putting product integrity and food safety at risk.

The Solution: Real-Time Monitoring

To help address these challenges, a wireless temperature and humidity monitoring solution was implemented using technology from RAKwireless – available through Alpha Micro. The sensor system provided a scalable and reliable approach, with key features including:

• Real-time temperature and humidity readings

• Custom thresholds with instant alerts when conditions exceeded limits

• Centralized data accessible via a user-friendly dashboard

The food manufacturer installed the sensors in high-risk areas such as production floors and storage rooms with cold walls—where condensation was most likely to occur. The system enabled them to take immediate action whenever temperature drops or humidity spikes were detected, helping them prevent condensation before it formed.

The Results: Clear Operational Improvements

By deploying this wireless sensor solution, the manufacturer experienced immediate and measurable benefits:

Improved Product Quality and Safety
Proactive monitoring helped prevent condensation and protect perishable goods.

Lower Maintenance Costs
A drier environment reduced equipment breakdowns and repair expenses.

Greater Operational Efficiency
Automation replaced manual monitoring, reducing labor and human error.

Energy Savings
Better environmental control led to more efficient energy use.

Enhanced Client Trust
Consistent climate control strengthened customer confidence in product quality.

The Alpha Micro Advantage

This case study is a great example of how Alpha Micro, in partnership with leading-edge suppliers like RAKwireless, delivers effective IoT solutions to today’s industrial challenges. For the food manufacturer, the implementation of wireless temperature and humidity sensors led to real cost savings, improved safety and more reliable warehouse operations.

If your business faces similar challenges with environmental control or equipment sensitivity, contact the Alpha Micro team to explore how wireless sensing technology can help.

Explore sensors here

We’re excited to announce the addition of the SENSO8 range of LoRa sensors to our product line-up.

These versatile sensors offer reliable and efficient monitoring for temperature, humidity, water presence, and open/close status, making them ideal for a wide range of IoT applications.

Key Features:

• LoRa Connectivity: Reliable and long-range wireless communication for effective monitoring.
• Battery Powered: Each sensor is powered by a single 9Ah ER26500 battery (Alpha Micro stock: AMC-BATT-ER26500-RL01), ensuring extended operational life.
• Variety of Sensing Capabilities: Available in models for temperature, humidity, water detection, CO²/air quality and open/close monitoring.
• Flexible Deployment: Suitable for various environments and applications.
• Availability: Factory lead time of 6-8 weeks if not in stock at Arwin Technology or Alpha Micro.
• Competitive Pricing: Supplier buy price breaks for quantities <100, 101-300, and >300.

Applications:

These sensors are perfect for:

• Environmental monitoring
• Smart agriculture
• Building automation
• Water leak detection
• Security systems
• And much more!

Explore the SENSO8 Range here

Introduction

In an era where data-driven decision-making is crucial for industrial competitiveness, businesses are increasingly turning to Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to enhance operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and optimize performance. However, implementing IoT at scale presents significant challenges, including device compatibility, network integration, data security, and scalability.

A leading industrial manufacturer sought to leverage IoT technology to gain real-time visibility into its operations, predict equipment failures before they occurred, and automate maintenance workflows. The company faced difficulties integrating various IoT components and required a scalable, end-to-end solution that could seamlessly connect multiple factory locations.

To address these challenges, the company turned to RAKwireless’s Real IoT Marketplace, which provided a pre-integrated ecosystem of hardware, connectivity solutions, and cloud-based analytics. By adopting this solution, the manufacturer successfully reduced unplanned downtime by 30% and improved Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by 25%, resulting in significant cost savings and increased productivity.

Client Requirements

The company operated multiple production facilities, each with hundreds of machines responsible for fabricating industrial components. Despite having a skilled workforce and advanced machinery, the company faced several operational inefficiencies:

• Unplanned Downtime: Equipment failures led to unexpected production stoppages, resulting in lost revenue and missed deadlines.
• Lack of Real-Time Visibility: Relying on manual inspections and periodic maintenance logs made it difficult to detect performance issues early.
• Data Silos: Each factory used different monitoring tools that did not communicate with one another, preventing centralized decision-making.
• Scalability & Future-Proofing: The company needed an IoT solution that could seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure while being scalable across multiple plants.

To address these challenges, the company required a plug-and-play IoT ecosystem capable of:

1. Real-time machine health monitoring.
2. Predictive maintenance to reduce failures.
3. Centralized data analytics for better decision-making.
4. Seamless scalability across multiple sites.

Solution: RAKwireless’s Real IoT Marketplace

The company selected RAKwireless’s Real IoT Marketplace to implement an Industrial IoT (IIoT) solution, eliminating the complexities of sourcing hardware, integrating software, and configuring connectivity.

The deployment included:

1. Smart IoT Sensors for Machine Health Monitoring

• RAK environmental and vibration sensors were installed across critical machinery to track temperature, pressure, vibration, and motor efficiency.
• These sensors utilized LoRaWAN® connectivity, ensuring secure, long-range communication even in environments with high electromagnetic interference.

2. Edge Computing & Secure Data Transmission

• RAKwireless gateways with built-in edge computing processed sensor data locally before transmitting it to the cloud, reducing latency and bandwidth usage.
• End-to-end encryption protected industrial data from unauthorized access.

3. Cloud-Based Analytics for Predictive Maintenance

• Sensor data was analyzed in RAKwireless’s IoT Cloud Platform, where AI-driven analytics detected early signs of mechanical failures.
• Automated alerts were sent to maintenance teams, enabling proactive repairs before breakdowns occurred.

4. Scalable & Centralized Management

• The solution was designed for scalability, allowing easy deployment of additional sensors and gateways across multiple factories.
• A centralized dashboard provided real-time insights, enabling executives to make data-driven decisions across all locations.

Key Features and Benefits

1. Real-Time Monitoring & Predictive Maintenance

• 24/7 machine health tracking, eliminating reliance on manual inspections.
• 30% reduction in unplanned downtime, as failures were detected before they caused breakdowns.

2. Plug-and-Play Deployment with Seamless Integration

• Pre-configured hardware and software reduced integration time by 50%.
• Compatible with existing factory automation systems, ensuring smooth adoption.

3. Cost-Effective Scalability

• LoRaWAN® technology enabled wide-area coverage with minimal infrastructure investment.
• The modular design allowed for gradual scaling, adapting to the company’s evolving needs.

4. Centralized Data Management & AI-Driven Insights

• Unified data from multiple locations, enabling real-time monitoring across all sites.
• AI-based analytics improved Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by 25%.

5. Enhanced Security & Reliability

• End-to-end encryption ensured data security and compliance with industrial cybersecurity standards.
• Redundant communication infrastructure maintained data transmission even during network failures.

Conclusion

By adopting RAKwireless’s Real IoT Marketplace, the company successfully transformed its operations into a data-driven, intelligent manufacturing ecosystem. With real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and centralized data management, the company significantly improved efficiency while reducing costs.

Through this partnership, the company achieved:

1. 30% reduction in unplanned downtime, increasing production efficiency.
2. 25% improvement in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
3. Standardized data collection across multiple locations, enabling better decision-making.
4. Seamless scalability, preparing for future expansions.

This case study demonstrates how RAKwireless’s Real IoT Marketplace provides a powerful, scalable, and easy-to-deploy IoT solution for industrial manufacturers, enabling them to stay ahead in the era of smart, connected operations.

For more information, visit: RAKwireless Real IoT Marketplace.