Mayer Brothers ensures product safety and efficiency with Motive.

Challenge

As the largest processor of apple cider in North America and a preferred supplier to some of the biggest beverage companies in the world, Mayer Brothers is committed to providing top-tier service and delivering high-quality products and goods safely and sustainably. Additionally, Mayer Brothers must comply with temperature monitoring requirements set forth by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). These requirements involve continuously monitoring, logging, and auditing the temperature of commercial refrigerated trailers. 

Operating in New England, Mayer Brothers must contend with the annual fluctuations in temperature and humidity — in summer, temperatures can reach more than 100°F with humidity as high as 85%, and plunge well below 0°F in the winter. Such extreme weather conditions pose a risk of spoilage or deterioration in quality, potentially jeopardizing customer relationships.

Marc Cain, transportation manager at Mayer Brothers, explained that some customers require their products to remain in a certain temperature range upon delivery. For example, some customers require a temperature monitor to be attached to their delivery pallets they can review upon receiving to view fluctuations in trailer temperature. Other customers may puncture the lid of a bottle of cider with a temperature monitor to ensure the liquid is in the appropriate temperature range. While failed temperature tests are rare for Mayer Brothers, it’s important for the company to understand and explain to the customer what led to the failure.

“One time, we had a load to Big Y in Springfield, Mass. that wasn’t at the right temperature when it arrived, and we were shocked,” said Marc. He explained that the products were to remain at 42°F or below, but when the customer reviewed the temperature monitor, it showed the temperature had risen above that for a period of time between loading the trailer and delivery.

Solution

Fortunately for Marc, Mayer Brothers were using the Motive Reefer Monitoring solution to remotely monitor the temperature and humidity conditions of its trailers while transporting products to customers. 

“I was able to trace the cause back to our trailer and see the whole picture of what happened,” he said. “I was able to track all its locations and see it was in our dock the entire time the temperature went above what was required.” 

He went on to explain that the temperature monitor had been turned on and placed on the trailer at the Mayer Brothers facility before the delivery was ready. The trailer happened to be in a building that incidentally had the power turned off for electrical repairs. During that time, the temperature of the building rose, causing the open trailer to also rise slightly from 43° to 44°F. Once the doors to the trailer closed and it pulled away from the dock, the temperature dropped down again. 

Marc was able to show the customer that the product hadn’t been sitting in higher temperatures during transit or for long enough to spoil. He also said it was a relief to know it wasn’t an issue with the trailer that would require costly repairs and lengthy downtime. 

With Motive, Marc and his team can view all its fleet data, including location, vehicle telematics, and reefer insights, in one, central location. This makes it possible for Mayer Brothers to create reefer logs for any time period on demand, which reduces cost, decreases reefer downtime, and improves the service they provide their customers. It also ensures they stay in compliance with FSMA requirements.

Another benefit of Reefer Monitoring is its alert and alarm features, Marc said. He explained that sometimes the company’s production team will move products scheduled for shipment on Sunday or Monday onto reefer trailers on a Friday to make room for other products. In the event that a trailer shuts off over the weekend, Marc knows he’ll get an alert from Motive immediately so he can investigate the warning and create an action plan to move the product into a different reefer and get the reefer into maintenance. 

“Having that tracker gives us peace of mind,” Marc said. “It’s nice to know that I can log in from my phone or my computer at home and get immediate visibility into our trailers’ performance.”

Results

Mayer Brothers experienced significant improvements in fleet manager productivity and product safety with Motive. 

“Motive Reefer Monitoring enables us to set a report for every 15 mins to ensure there are no issues with the load. Having this level of visibility saves us 5–10 hours per week in fleet manager productivity and prevents any spoilage,” Marc said. 

By using the Environmental Sensor in Motive’s Reefer Monitoring solution, Mayer Brothers successfully increased efficiency, ensured product quality, and reinforced their commitment to safe and timely deliveries.

The testimonials, statements, and opinions presented on this webpage reflect the real-life experiences of individuals and/or companies who have used our products and/or services. Individual results may vary and past performance is not a guarantee of future results. The testimonials presented on this webpage were voluntarily provided and not paid.