GAO BLE, RFID, IoT, and M2M Solutions for Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Food and Beverage Manufacturing Visibility, Traceability, and Control Using BLE, RFID, IoT, and M2M
Food and beverage manufacturing operates under strict regulatory oversight, high throughput requirements, and narrow margins where traceability failures or downtime directly impact safety and profitability. BLE, RFID, IoT, and M2M technologies enable automated identification, real time location awareness, and machine to system communication across raw material intake, processing, packaging, cold storage, and distribution. Persistent challenges include lot level traceability, temperature compliance, asset loss, sanitation validation, workforce accountability, and limited visibility across multiple facilities. These technologies address those risks by automating data capture at critical control points and enforcing process discipline. GAO products and systems have repeatedly solved these challenges in food and beverage manufacturing by supporting hygienic designs, multi frequency operation, and deployment models aligned with plant engineering, quality, and compliance teams.
GAO’s IoT Hardware Products Widely Deployed in Food and Beverage Manufacturing
BLE
UHF
TAGS BY FEATURE
NFC, HF, LF
IoT & M2M
Long Range IoT & M2M
Mid Range IoT & M2M
Short Range IoT & M2M
GAO Solutions Widely Deployed in Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Food and Beverage Asset Tracking and Inventory Management Systems
Food and Beverage Access Control and Attendance Systems
Food and Beverage Workforce and Personnel Tracking Systems
Food and Beverage Yard, Fleet, and Logistics Systems
Food and Beverage Construction and Facility Expansion Systems
Food and Beverage Manufacturing Operations Systems
GAO Deployment Cases in Food and Beverage Manufacturing
United States Deployment Cases
Ingredient Lot Traceability Deployment in Fresno, California
Problem: Ingredient lots moved across processing and blending stages without reliable digital traceability, increasing recall exposure.
Solution: GAO implemented RFID based lot tracking at receiving, batching, and packaging control points with handheld verification.
Result: Traceback time during mock recalls reduced from hours to under 12 minutes.
Lesson: Tag durability selection required balancing moisture resistance with per unit cost.
Cold Storage Temperature Compliance in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Problem: Manual temperature logging failed to meet audit consistency requirements.
Solution: RFID sensor tags captured temperature data during storage and transport cycles.
Result: Temperature excursions declined by 34 percent within one quarter.
Lesson: Sensor battery replacement planning was essential for long term reliability.
Workforce Safety Tracking in Omaha, Nebraska
Problem: Limited visibility of personnel during sanitation and chemical handling procedures.
Solution: BLE badges and industrial gateways enabled zone based personnel visibility.
Result: Safety incident response time improved by 41 percent.
Lesson: Gateway density influenced location resolution more than badge transmit power.
Packaging Line Asset Tracking in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Problem: Mobile packaging equipment frequently moved between lines without documentation.
Solution: UHF RFID asset tracking integrated with maintenance workflows.
Result: Equipment search time dropped by 57 percent.
Lesson: Metal dense environments required on metal tag tuning.
Finished Goods Inventory Accuracy in Modesto, California
Problem: Pallet counts varied significantly between shifts.
Solution: RFID pallet tagging with dock door reads.
Result: Inventory accuracy improved to 99.2 percent.
Lesson: Dock antenna alignment reduced missed reads during peak throughput.
Sanitation Tool Control in Springdale, Arkansas
Problem: Sanitation tools were misplaced, creating cross contamination risk.
Solution: RFID tagged tools tracked by zone and cleaning cycle.
Result: Tool loss incidents reduced by 46 percent.
Lesson: Washdown rated tags increased upfront cost but reduced replacement rates.
Yard Trailer Visibility in Joliet, Illinois
Problem: Refrigerated trailers lacked real time yard visibility.
Solution: Active RFID trailer tracking at yard ingress and egress points.
Result: Trailer dwell time reduced by 28 percent.
Lesson: Outdoor reader mounting required weather and vibration considerations.
Access Control Modernization in Twin Falls, Idaho
Problem: Legacy badges failed to enforce role based access to allergen zones.
Solution: RFID access control linked to employee training status.
Result: Unauthorized zone entry events dropped to zero reportable incidents.
Lesson: Policy updates required coordination with HR systems.
Returnable Container Tracking in Stockton, California
Problem: Reusable containers were lost across distribution cycles.
Solution: RFID tracking of returnable transport items across facilities.
Result: Container loss reduced by 39 percent annually.
Lesson: Partner compliance influenced read consistency.
IT Asset Tracking for Quality Labs in Raleigh, North Carolina
Problem: Calibration assets lacked centralized tracking.
Solution: RFID IT asset management with scheduled audits.
Result: Audit cycle time reduced by 33 percent.
Lesson: Data governance mattered more than tag range.
Production Downtime Analysis in Salinas, California
Problem: Equipment utilization data was fragmented.
Solution: IoT and M2M data collection integrated with asset tracking.
Result: Unplanned downtime reduced by 19 percent.
Lesson: Integration testing minimized data reconciliation issues.
Facility Expansion Asset Control in Aurora, Colorado
Problem: Construction phase assets moved across active production zones.
Solution: RFID construction asset tracking with temporary portals.
Result: Equipment idle time reduced by 27 percent.
Lesson: Rapid redeployment capability shortened setup time.
GAO Deployment Cases in Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Canada Deployment Cases
Cold Chain Compliance Deployment in Guelph, Ontario
Problem: Distribution temperature logs failed audit sampling thresholds.
Solution: RFID temperature sensing tags monitored shipments end to end.
Result: Audit nonconformities reduced by 31 percent.
Lesson: Sensor reuse policies affected operational cost.
Ingredient Inventory Control in Lethbridge, Alberta
Problem: Bulk ingredient storage lacked accurate cycle counts.
Solution: RFID inventory tracking with zone based reads.
Result: Inventory variance dropped below 1.2 percent.
Lesson: Antenna polarization influenced read consistency.
Workforce Tracking in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec
Problem: Contractor accountability during off shift cleaning was limited.
Solution: BLE personnel tracking with time bound credentials.
Result: Accountability improved to 100 percent during audits.
Lesson: Credential expiration reduced administrative effort.
Returnable Pallet Tracking in Brampton, Ontario
Problem: Pallet shrinkage increased logistics costs.
Solution: RFID pallet tracking integrated with warehouse systems.
Result: Pallet loss reduced by 36 percent.
Lesson: Partner onboarding impacted data completeness.
R and D Asset Management in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Problem: Pilot plant equipment lacked lifecycle visibility.
Solution: RFID asset tracking linked to project identifiers.
Result: Asset recovery rates improved by 29 percent.
Lesson: Metadata standards were critical across research teams.
Our products and systems have been developed and deployed for a wide range of industrial applications. They are available off-the-shelf or can be customized to meet your needs. If you have any questions, our technical experts can help you.
For any further information on GAO’s products and systems, to request evaluation kits, free samples, recorded video demos, or explore partnership opportunities, please fill out this form or email us.