Italian OEM Epta’s new LineON platform, which was launched at the Chillventa trade show, is designed to provide the retail, hospitality and food and beverage sectors with a digital insights platform dedicated to its plug-in refrigeration units, such as its Costan and Bonnet Névé propane (R290) cabinets.
The technology was discussed in an interview with Emanuela Di Costa, Epta’s Product Manager for Digital Solutions, and Vanessa Curti, Communications Manager, at Chillventa, held in Nuremberg, Germany, October 11–13.
According to the manufacturer, the platform offers a wide range of services and provides customers with information about the performance of their plug-in cases. Most OEMs rely on component manufacturers like Carel, Emerson and Danfoss to provide monitoring systems rather than provide them themselves.
“LineON offers 24/7 analysis of numerous plug-in parameters such as temperature, humidity and energy consumption for continuous remote monitoring,” said Epta. The service ensures the “quality of the products on display, fewer maintenance interventions and higher overall efficiency.”
“LineON offers 24/7 analysis of numerous plug-in parameters such as temperature, humidity and energy consumption for continuous remote monitoring.”
Epta
In addition to tracking the performance of cabinets, LineON also provides marketing and sales insights based on consumer habits and preferences.
“Its cutting-edge connectivity enables [customers] to have reports remotely available around the clock,” said Di Costa. “This will help [them] control many key parameters such as instant alarms, geolocation, anti-theft monitoring and sales trends analysis.”
The service’s geolocation functionality tracks where the connected cases are located and raise an alert if they are moved. According to Di Costa, this also allows retailers to analyze how a cabinet’s location might impact sales, helping to identify the most successful placement.
LineON also monitors when and how often case doors are opened, which can be compared with sales figures to track stock levels and consumer preferences. This function can also identify if a cabinet has been left open for a long time and sound an alarm to prevent product spoilage.
To meet the varying needs to its customers, Epta offers its LineON technology in three formats: “Full OEM Solution,” where the sensors are built into Epta’s display cabinets during production; “Ready to Connect,” where services are provided during the production phase but activated at a later date; and “Smart Plug Solution,” where existing cabinets are retrofitted with Epta’s LineON accessories.
Also CO2 monitoring
Epta also previewed its new SwitchON monitoring platform at Chillventa, where the manufacturer promoted the importance of such services in the efficient operation of its CO2 (R744) refrigeration systems and units.
“The best efficiency comes from offering complete service solutions,” said Curti. “It’s not only the right product or the right refrigeration system but also the service to maintain [it] in the proper way, to monitor performance, to set the right parameters in order to get the best solution. There is no product without services.”
SwitchON offers performance monitoring and digital diagnostics for various elements of its transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems, including the pack controller, inverter drives and oil injectors.
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