Circle K Revolutionizes Food Safety with JRI MySirius:
A Strategic Partnership for Operational Excellence
Circle K, a global leader in convenience retail operating nearly 17,000 stores across 29 countries, has transformed its food safety management by partnering with JRI to deploy the MySirius temperature monitoring solution. This collaboration perfectly illustrates how a technological partnership can simultaneously address client operational needs while showcasing supplier solution innovation.
Client Challenge: Complex Operational Constraints
Circle K faced a major global food safety challenge: ensuring continuous temperature monitoring across refrigeration equipment to maintain perishable product quality. There were multiple constraints: limited network connectivity, uneven Wi-Fi coverage, tight budgets, and the need for a simple-to-install solution with minimal maintenance.
“Our objective was to identify a solution capable of automating and enhancing operational efficiencies related to food safety and quality assurance tasks”
Tera Barnes, Sr. Manager, Quality Assurance Programs
Requirements included real-time data tracking, automated alerts for temperature deviations, historical data logging, and seamless integration with existing facility management systems.
JRI Response: Technological Innovation and Industry Expertise
Faced with these complex constraints, JRI proposed its MySirius solution based on LoRa technology, specifically adapted to low-bandwidth environments. This technological approach perfectly addresses connectivity limitations while offering long-range communication with reduced energy consumption.
The JRI solution distinguishes itself through installation flexibility: each Circle K site is equipped with an average of 12 temperature sensors, supported by a LoRa Alerting device and Gateway. This strategic configuration covers all refrigerators and freezers storing perishable items, ensuring continuous 24/7 monitoring with real-time visual alerts.
“We selected LoRa sensors paired with a Lora alerting device to provide reliable visual alerts. This solution was chosen for its ability to operate effectively in low-bandwidth environments while maintaining consistent and reliable performance”.
Shared Innovation: JRI MySirius
JRI-MySirius cloud platform offers three subscription levels (Initial, Serenity, Advanced) adapted to Circle K’s specific needs, with a user-friendly interface accessible on PC, tablet, or smartphone. This flexibility enables alarm management with cascades, snooze, temporary inhibition, and numerous notification methods.
JRI complements its hardware with advanced digital solutions, notably the MyFoodCheck module, which enables extending digitalized approach beyond automated monitoring. This mobile application facilitates HACCP management by digitalizing manual controls during critical operations: surveillance, delivery, storage, food preparation, and hot/cold holding processes.
MyFoodCheck works exclusively with JRI’s wireless thermometer range (BlueTherm One, RayTemp, TempTest), automatically storing all measurements in the corresponding MySirius account for analysis, audit, and inspection. This eliminates paper-based controls that “take up space, are falsifiable, and can easily be damaged or lost,” positioning users“ahead of their time in HACCP management” within the IoT era.
JRI’s metrological expertise, with its accredited laboratory, guarantees measurement precision essential for meeting regulatory requirements (HACCP, GMP, GLP) and quality assurance programs. This technical reliability constitutes a competitive advantage for Circle K in its global operations.
Measurable Results:
A Win-Win Collaboration
The benefits of this partnership quickly materialized through tangible key indicators. For Circle K, internal food safety assessments showed increased compliance, annual food waste rates declined, and operator feedback was consistently positive regarding ease of use and operational efficiency.
“Following the launch of this program, we observed measurable improvements in several key areas. Internal food safety assessments showed increased compliance, annual food waste rates declined, and we received consistent positive feedback from our operators“.
For JRI, this collaboration demonstrates MySirius platform effectiveness in large-scale deployments, validating its LoRa technology as a reference solution for temperature monitoring in the retail distribution sector.
Future Vision:
Towards a Global Digital Solution
This temperature monitoring initiative represents the first phase of what Tera calls its “Digital Food Safety Solution“. The company continuously evaluates new processes Optimized through digital tool integration, creating extension opportunities for JRI.
“Temperature monitoring and the use of digital logs represent the foundational phase of what we refer to as our Digital Food Safety Solution“.
This strategic approach paves the way for future collaborative developments between both companies, potentially incorporating solutions like MyFoodCheck for comprehensive HACCP digitalization.
Satisfaction Testimonial: A Successful Partnership
“This program has significantly enhanced visibility into our compliance performance, driven through operational efficiencies, and aligned closely with our broader business objectives, particularly in supporting our food service operations. By providing actionable insights and streamlining key processes, it continues to play a vital role in strengthening our overall food safety strategy“
This success perfectly illustrates how a strategic partnership between a retail leader and a technology expert can create mutual value: Circle K optimizes its food safety operations while JRI demonstrates MySirius solution effectiveness on a global scale.