Sensor-to-cloud success in dairy processing
Cloud infrastructure for temperature monitoring in a frozen dairy end-user
A regional food enterprise headquartered in the northeastern United States partnered with ifm to modernize its instrumentation and cold storage monitoring systems. The customer aimed to overcome recurring challenges in quality control, regulatory compliance, and aging sensor infrastructure in their dairy and ice cream production plant.
Quality
Compliance
Operations
Results
| Scrap reduction & compliance | Operational efficiency | Cost savings | ||
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A strategic partnership for the future
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ifm is now the customer’s preferred partner for process automation and monitoring.
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Plans are underway to expand ifm solutions plant-wide, supporting a major controls upgrade by 2026.
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Ongoing collaboration includes identifying new opportunities for condition monitoring, flow validation, and utility optimization (e.g., water and energy use).
The challenge
The customer’s existing instrumentation, supplied by a legacy vendor, had begun failing more frequently, particularly temperature sensors. These failures were attributed to:
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Moisture ingress in sensor housings, a common issue in washdown environments.
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Metal diaphragm failures in pressure and level sensors, which lacked the resilience of more modern ceramic-cell alternatives.
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System obsolescence in the cloud-based cold storage monitoring solution, with unreliable networking and hardware breakdowns.
Each failure risked product losses of up to $10,000 per batch, threatening both compliance with New York State food safety regulations and overall profitability.
The solution - why ifm?
ifm engaged with the customer to deliver a full instrumentation upgrade and monitoring platform deployment. Guided by ifm’s “Close to You” strategy and collaborative engagement model, the teams worked together to develop a comprehensive and scalable solution:
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Hermetically sealed sensors to eliminate moisture ingress risks.
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Ceramic-cell pressure sensors to replace less robust metal-diaphragm designs.
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moneo Cloud for real-time monitoring, historical recordkeeping, and regulatory documentation.
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Interoperability with third-party devices for seamless integration.
Process monitoring functions covered
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Pressure: Hydrostatic tank level and process pressure using ceramic-capacitive sensors.
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Temperature: Ambient and media-specific monitoring using IO-Link temperature probes.
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Flow: Hygienic flow monitoring with sanitary-compliant IO-Link flowmeters.
By recommending reliable instrumentation and providing direct sales and technical support, ifm addressed the customer's immediate instrumentation needs. Clear software instructions and comprehensive documentation, paired with responsive support from the ifm sales and technical teams, contributed to an excellent customer experience. Additionally, moneo Cloud provided a monitoring solution that was fully interoperable with the newly implemented ifm instrumentation and the existing cold storage infrastructure in need of upgrade. Previously, system failures led to over $10,000 in product scrap per occurrence; with ifm’s solution, the customer now benefits from reliable monitoring that supports compliance with state food safety regulations and strengthens overall quality control.
Why moneo Cloud?
moneo Cloud proved ideal for cold storage applications requiring reliable, real-time temperature monitoring with integrated historical data tracking. Its interoperability with both ifm and third-party sensors enabled seamless deployment and provided robust recordkeeping critical for regulatory compliance.
System components in use:
- AE9001 LTE access point
- AE2100 EdgeGateway
- AL3050 Ethernet switch
- AL1920 IO-Link master with Profinet and IoT communication
- IO-Link temperature sensors
More than 150 IO-Link devices have been deployed across production and cold storage areas.
Conclusion
This case study demonstrates the measurable benefits of a strategic partnership between a forward-looking dairy processor and ifm. By addressing critical failure points in the customer’s legacy instrumentation and cold storage systems, ifm delivered:
- A future-ready solution that ensures product quality, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency.
- Reliable sensor technology designed to withstand harsh washdown environments
- Real-time monitoring and historical data tracking through moneo Cloud
- Strong on-the-ground technical support backed by clear software documentation
- Elimination of costly scrap events, saving up to $10,000 per incident
- Streamlined compliance workflows aligned with state food safety regulations
- A scalable infrastructure that supports ongoing plant upgrades and future expansion
Products
Explore the underlying technologies that power this solution.
TA temperature sensor
PI flush pressure sensor with display
SMF sanitary magmeter
SU ultrasonic flow meter
DP converters/splitters for IO-Link and moneo Cloud
EIO Bluetooth adapter for IO-Link
DX Local display
AE EdgeGateways for cloud connectivity
