Case study · IQF freezing · Ditzler Chile
A cold-chain record you can audit. Verified against a reference standard.
Ditzler Chile freezes IQF fruit and vegetables in Maipú. Tunnel temperature is logged every second with a timestamp, and when it was compared against a reference calibrator at the same point, the difference was 0.0 °C in operation.
- Industry
- IQF fruit and vegetables
- Plant
- Maipú, Chile
- Client since
- October 2024
- What is measured
- Cold, counting and OEE
01The client
Ditzler Chile is the Chilean subsidiary of Louis Ditzler AG, a Swiss company founded in 1925. At its Maipú plant it processes IQF (individually quick frozen) fruit and vegetables, makes fruit preparations and offers contract manufacturing. It has been an iGromi client since October 2024.
02The problem
In IQF freezing, tunnel and cold room temperature is the process condition that defines the product, and it is also what customers and audits ask for. A handwritten log, or a continuous one nobody has compared against a reference, leaves the same question open: how far can you trust that number?
03What was installed
- Temperature probes in the IQF tunnel and cold room, with continuous logging
- The module takes one reading per second; every record carries a timestamp
- Online, exportable history for audits or process analysis
- Automatic email reports
- Sensor-based production counting, no cameras
- OEE for a filling machine
04How it was verified
Verification was done on site with a reference calibrator placed at the same point as the sensor and reading over the same interval. The reference’s calibration certificate was handed to the client.
| Date and condition | Reference | Sensor | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2025, in operation | −24.5 °C | −24.5 °C | 0.0 °C |
| Aug 25, 2026, out of operation¹ | 21.30 °C | 21.25 °C | 0.05 °C |
¹ Average of four readings between 11:36 and 11:39.
Both differences are well below the accuracy stated by the module’s manufacturer, on the order of ±1.1 °C at −24.5 °C.
05Measured results
- IQF tunnel temperature logged every second, with exportable history for audits
- Sensor reading verified against a reference: 0.0 °C difference in operation and 0.05 °C out of operation
- Sensor-based production counting and filler OEE on the same dashboard
The value is not one more sensor. It is being able to show a customer or an auditor the complete record and proof that it matches a reference standard.
06What we learned
A sensor that stops reporting has to raise an alert. In August 2026 some sensors stopped reporting because of Wi-Fi connectivity and the client got no warning. Since then there is an automatic sensor-down alert, and connectivity was improved with an external antenna and a wired network point.
Verify under both conditions. One reading at −24.5 °C in operation and another at room temperature with the plant stopped say more than a single one: they show the sensor tracks the reference across the whole range that matters.
This is one of the three named cases in the guide to industrial artificial intelligence, along with Grupo Proa and Premium.
Figures and sources
- Verification against reference in operation: −24.5 °C / −24.5 °C, difference 0.0 °C
- Oct 21, 2025
- Verification against reference out of operation: 21.30 °C / 21.25 °C, difference 0.05 °C (average of 4 readings)
- Aug 25, 2026
- One reading per second; stated accuracy on the order of ±1.1 °C at −24.5 °C
- Technical sheet, Sep 2026
- Sensors not reporting due to Wi-Fi; sensor-down alert and improved connectivity
- Aug 2026
Case study published with Ditzler Chile’s permission. Temperature figures come from the on-site verification documented in the technical sheet delivered to the client.
Can you prove your cold-chain record?
Tell us where you measure temperature today and how you log it. We tell you what iGromi can read from what you already have installed. And if you want to start with shift logging, the app is free.