SentryDAQ Floor Station-RT Edition

The environment on a food processing floor ranges from frigid cold to dry heat to rolling steam with varying degrees in between.  There can be food dust settling on all surfaces, water splashing on equipment or both.  Food ingredients dot the processing equipment, the walls and the floor.  Frequent sanitation steps remove, but do not prevent.  This continuous barrage of wet, hot, acidic, basic, dry, sticky materials that can assault the information hardware within food plants has been a deterrent to applying the communication highway that is so badly needed in today’s food production arena.

FoodHorizon in conjunction with Texas Digital Systems has addressed this problem with a solution that not only provides access to the wireless highway of information, but provides a Virtual Manager on the processing floor.

FoodHorizon's premier technological breakthrough for data collection and information management, Sentry9000, provides a Virtual Manager on the processing floor.  It provides the means to move data from a step in the process into a database where it can be analyzed, compared against standards and have action results occur.  The data from all aspects of production from supplier verification to customer receipt and every step between is monitored, reviewed, acted upon and reported by Sentry9000. 

The ability to use this system in every processing environment has created deployment problems for FoodHorizon and other companies that wish to put data collection equipment on the process floor.  The SentryDAQ Floor Station-RT Edition has become an integral part of the process for Sentry9000 to provide the answer for collecting data in a harsh environment.

 Texas Digital Systems has a long history in providing answers for food establishments although it has been in the area of order taking and advertising.  The kiosks at many food restaurants come from Texas Digital Systems.  These are developed and built to withstand the heat and humidity of the Florida Keys and the ice and cold of Juneau, Alaska.  The kiosks contain different attributes depending on their end use in these establishments, but can consist of touch screen selection, printed receipts, two-way audio communications, credit card acceptance and cash transactions.  Texas Digital has used their years of experience in working with harsh outdoor environments to perfect a kiosk that can withstand the multitudes of environments in a food processing plant.  In addition to the development and testing protocols to withstand the environmental impact, Texas Digital Systems has developed the equipment to move data through the kiosk to an end user.

The SentryDAQ Floor Station-RT Edition has some unique features that make it an exceptional partner for Sentry9000.

• Waterproof and dustproof
• Stainless steel construction
• Wheels for mobility
• Touch screen for data entry
• Wireless capability for communication
• Serial ports for equipment data access
• Platforms for mounting test equipment
• Bright screen for all conditions of lighting
• Printing capability

The importance of this breakthrough in the IMS (Information Management System) aspect of food processing can have a major impact on how data moves through a plant.  The demand for information put on processors because of HACCP by the USDA, recalls by the FDA and safety concerns for the consumer can be met with the combined approach of Sentry9000 and the SentryDAQ Floor Station-RT Edition.  This in conjunction with the increased demand from data hungry ERP’s (Enterprise Resource Planning) for inventory control, sales forecasting, transportation management and employee records gets the data from the process floor in real-time.

The SentryDAQ Floor Station-RT Edition is designed to be rugged while it provides the latest in computer technology for meeting the challenges of the food processor.  It is designed to be GMP compliant because it is made of stainless steel and does not have seams for bacterial ingress and growth.  It can be washed down and sanitized.  It can be moved from one location to another, but it is locked in place when immobile.  The advantages afforded by the SentryDAQ Floor Station-RT Edition continue on, and I am sure you can see many of them in your facility and operation.  In addition, the kiosk can be modified to be stationary or be permanently installed without the column.

Throw the clipboards away.  Assimilate all the “islands of information” that collect data independently now into a single system that provides a Virtual Manager for the operation.  Sentry9000 and the SentryDAQ Floor Station-RT Edition are writing a new chapter in the age-old requirement for information.

Now is the time to turn the page.