Pro Chiller Systems (Auburn, WA), a supplier of packaged chilling solutions for the beer, wine and dairy industries, recently unveiled what it calls "a game-changer for beer crafters" – aka the company's new, internet of things (IoT)-powered Total Cooling Control (TCC) solution – at the 2018 Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, TN.
As noted by TCC, the quality and consistent performance of a chiller system directly affects the quality and consistency of beer, and the potential for product loss, which craft brewers in particular can ill afford. The new IoT-enabled TCC integrates Pro Chiller’s existing expertise in control systems with the analytics capabilities of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and T-Mobile’s advanced IoT network to provide seamless connectivity and oversight to the entire brewing process, putting quality control in the brewers’ hands, from anywhere.
Soon, through T-Mobile's IoT network, all Pro Chiller systems will be outfitted with built-in cellular connectivity. ("Simply turn the chiller on – no wires or technical know-how required.") And by utilizing AWS analytics solutions, Pro Chiller can provide brewers with both secure communications and the power of enhanced data intelligence. Collecting data from each installed system across the country, Pro Chiller identifies trends and provides time-sensitive information to individual customers through a real-time, browser-based dashboard on a laptop, tablet or phone. This allows breweries to take preventative actions that avoid downtime and protect product quality and consistency.
The company notes that implementing control systems has traditionally required breweries to invest in expensive wiring and cabling as well as the configuration and setup of various IT equipment. This can understandably be overwhelming for a small business with limited resources. Even after completing an installation, current solutions typically provide only a static set of data. This has historical value, but falls short of providing information that could help prevent issues, and product loss, and predict trends.
“We have been investing in control and monitoring platforms for our industrial systems for more than 15 years, proving the benefits these tools bring our customers and the companies that service this equipment," said Jim VanderGiessen, CEO of Pro Chiller Systems. "We are extremely proud to work with both T-Mobile and Amazon Web Services to develop, test, and launch our new TCC solution, which will provide outstanding value to our entire customer base. We chose long ago to be on the front side of the innovation curve within the industries we serve, and we are grateful for their support in helping us to lead the way."
“At T-Mobile, we remove pain points – and in this case, by creating an IoT-connected ecosystem with Pro Chiller and Amazon – we made it easier for breweries to be better at what they do,” said Dave Mayo, SVP 5G & IoT for T-Mobile. “IoT connectivity can be applied today in endless unique and creative ways to add real, tangible value and help businesses be more competitive.”
Pro Chiller’s customers will be able to analyze system data through visualizations displayed on a customized dashboard at mychiller.com. They can register all of their systems across geographic locations to view relevant information on a single page. The layout was designed specifically to provide real-time operational data at the top, with a historical view including trend charts and alarm logs below. In addition to an on-demand review of system performance, customers can also receive operational alerts via email or text message.
AWS Certified Solution Architects and IoT specialists worked directly with Pro Chiller’s in-house development team to improve and streamline how to securely obtain, store, and analyze the operating data from the equipment. “The new system has given us huge peace of mind," said Jim Weatherwax, Operations, Oskar Blues Brewing Co. "Being able to monitor all systems from one page is huge, and using graphs and trends to help manage loading and utility demands is a game changer.”
Pro Chiller demonstrated the benefits of the new solution at the 2018 Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, held April 30 - May 3. To learn more about Pro’s latest IoT-powered TCC solution, visit prochiller.com.