Hugo’s Family Marketplace Updates Food Safety
Independent food retailer Hugo’s Family Marketplace, which operates stores in North Dakota and Minnesota, has selected equipment-monitoring and task management solutions from Boston-based SmartSense by Digi to improve the grocer’s food safety through automation and organization-wide visibility.
SmartSense’s small-form-factor temperature sensors and wireless gateways easily fit into existing equipment and provide simple and continuous monitoring. This will allow Hugo’s to automate and digitize operations to reduce the chance of temperature issues, even when stores are closed, and gain greater visibility into operations.
“Previously, we’ve relied on manual temperature checks in our refrigerators and freezers, as well as our deli areas,” said Scott Van Camp, VP of operations at Hugo’s. “With SmartSense, we now have a digital system of tracking. Their sensors and gateways are small enough to fit into our cooling systems without modification, and the expertise that the SmartSense team has provided for installation and training has enabled us to easily integrate this solution into our operations. We’re saving hours per day on manual temperature checks, which means we save tens of thousands of dollars every year.”
As well as improving quality assurance and redirecting labor hours to activities that enhance the customer experience, SmartSense will provide Hugo’s with a company-wide view of food safety using temperature and task records that previously only existed at the store level. This greater visibility will boost the grocer’s ability to allocate staff resources and manage operations more carefully.
“As a forward-thinking grocer with a growth mindset and passion for technology-driven improvements, Hugo’s is a great match for SmartSense,” said Kevin C. Riley, president of SmartSense by Digi, part of Hopkins, Minnesota-based Digi International, a global provider of Internet of Things connectivity products and services. “Our solution is purpose-built for grocery because we’ve worked so closely with customers to understand their needs — from the small-form factor of our sensors and gateways that easily plug into existing equipment to the visualization capabilities they need to understand performance at a glance. We’re proud to work with Hugo’s as it continues its technology journey to improved processes, greater efficiency and stronger food safety.”
Grand Forks, North Dakota-based Hugo’s is gearing up to open its 11th location — its first in a mixed-use residential and commercial building.
