Austrian manufacturer AHT’s Active Monitoring System (AMS), which tracks, foresees and addresses maintenance issues in its propane (R290)-based plug-in supermarket cabinets, has been able to cut costs for retailers via the “prevention of service deployments or in the effectiveness of service deployments,” the company said.
AHT, part of Daikin, manufactures a variety of plug-in units using hydrocarbons, including refrigerated and freezer cabinets, ice cream freezers, semi-vertical units and overhead cabinets.
Introduced in 2020, the AHT Monitoring System handles monitoring and process optimization every day of the year, even outside the business hours of retailers. Malfunctions in AHT refrigerators and deep-freezers “are detected and analyzed immediately,” AHT said. “Ideally, the malfunction is rectified directly by remote maintenance. If this is not possible, the service team will contact our customers for an on-site appointment immediately.”
In addition, indicators are collected for analysis so that problems can be detected “before they occur,” the company added.
As a result, “active monitoring brings great benefits in cost reduction,” AHT said. “AMS is the crucial add-on to all AHT products.”
The AHT Monitoring System is also able to manage third-party devices as well as other systems such as air conditioning and ventilation systems.
The AMS is installed via a DS Connectivity Solution Box, available from AHT. The DS Connectivity Solution Box connects Modbus-enabled device to the cloud and other systems.
Last year, AHT launched the KALEA Freeze, a new R290 freezer with in-box technology, meaning the entire refrigeration system is located in a pullout compartment near the floor at the front of the cabinet for easy access and down-time-free maintenance. The KALEA series is quiet and the “most energy-efficient device in its class,” AHT said in a statement.
AHT supplies its cabinets for more than just spot merchandising or islands. By 2020, the company had supplied R290 cabinets for full-store layouts in more than 7,000 locations, mainly in Europe. AHT also has actively pursued market share for its R290 plug-in units in the U.S., having opened a production site in Ladson, South Carolina, in 2017.
“Active monitoring brings great benefits in cost reduction.”
AHT
Want to find out more, or have something to say about this story? Join the ATMO Connect network to meet and engage with like-minded stakeholders in the clean cooling and natural refrigerant arena.
