Press Release
Yokogawa develops USDA approved measurement systems for temperature-controlled food shipping
Yokogawa Electric Corporation has developed a range of monitoring solutions for use on temperature-controlled container ships used for cold-treated food transportation. Based on Yokogawas data acquisition hardware integrated with customised software, these systems have received the all-important USDA certification, which is mandatory for all such food imported by ship into the USA.
The USDA Intransit Cold Treatment regulation stipulates that a USDA-approved recording system has to be on board every cooling vessel importing goods such as bananas and citrus fruits into the US. Approval for the Yokogawa recording systems and their associated software solutions means that Yokogawa can offer a range of USDA-approved recording systems that will suit vessels of all sizes and levels of sophistication.
Key products used in the USDA approved systems include the DXAdvanced DAQSTATION range of data-acquisition and control stations and the MX100 PC-based data-acquisition system. These products complement earlier Yokogawa devices that have USDA approval, including the DR240 hybrid recorder and the µR20000 chart recorder.
The DXAdvanced DAQSTATION, with its high-visibility TFT screen, is ideal for environments where instant visual feedback and alerts are essential. Measured values are captured on both a high-capacity internal memory (80 to 200 Mbyte) and removable flash storage (up to 2 Gbyte). Combined with MW100 remote input units, the DAQstation can log more than 240 input signals. When configured with Yokogawas Advanced Report software tool, USDA-approved reports can be automatically generated at user-specified intervals.
The PC front-end MX100 system offers reliable multi-channel data acquisition for easy connection to a PC running MCPS logging and monitoring software. The live monitoring screens give a clear indication of trend curves and actual measurement values, while the customised report function and automated tasks periodically create USDA reports showing the temperature conditions of all cooling compartments during a journey.
"We now have a USDA-approved recording system suitable for every class of cooled vessel", says Marco Bischoff of Yokogawa Europe: "Automated data monitoring has an increasingly important role in food transport, and the US regulations are among the most stringent. We are delighted that our systems have this accreditation, and we will continue to work with shipping operators to ensure that their refrigerated vessels continue to deliver their goods both safely and accountably."
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About Yokogawa Europe B.V.
The European headquarters of Yokogawa were founded in Amersfoort in the Netherlands in 1982. Throughout Europe Yokogawa has its own sales, service and engineering operations. This dedicated network has been extended to Central and East Europe and Southern Africa to further enhance the coverage and support associated with serving the process control and automation market place. Yokogawa develops and produces flowmeters at Rota Yokogawa in Germany and liquid analysers and industrial safety systems in the Netherlands. In addition to this dedicated network of Yokogawa subsidiaries, a select organisation of Test & Measurement (T&M) subsidiaries and distributors is established in certain areas to support the specific customer needs of this continuously developing and specific market of T&M instrumentation.
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