NorthPeak, a leading provider of intelligent infrastructure solutions in the US and Latin America, and EPSILIA, the premier traceability and BPM software solutions expert in Canada, have teamed up to create the FreshMax' technology suite. FreshMax is a solutions suite that helps growers and distributors of fresh produce maximize the shelf life of their products 'from field to fork.' FreshMax combines the power of Intelleflex' XC3 Technology' temperature sensors with innovative industry-standard software platforms to give growers, manufacturers and distributors of fresh produce, meats, seafood and dairy products the information they need to deliver maximum freshness in the foods they supply their customers.

FreshMax offers features that satisfy both operations and management, providing them with unambiguous, powerful and easy-to-use information in real-time. For operations, FreshMax uses simple graphical interfaces that give front-line personnel the ability to make better decisions. For management, FreshMax includes a powerful business intelligence module that, with just a few mouse clicks, can generate pre-loaded or customized performance and exception reports.

'FreshMax represents a quantum evolution of technology in the service of freshness,' said Alberto P'rez, Vice President of Marketing of NorthPeak. 'It combines real-time data provided by Intelleflex sensors, and turns it into actionable intelligence at any point in the fresh produce value chain. FreshMax was designed with business process improvement in mind. No matter if you are a grower, distributor, retailer or broker, better performance of your cold chain means higher profits.'

The FreshMax Solution Suite includes:

FreshMax PreCool (available now) ' Helps make sure each pallet of produce in the pre-cooler is removed at the right temperature.

FreshMax Storage (available now) ' Monitors and gives real-time temperature status updates of warehouse refrigerators and freezers 'by sector.'

FreshMax Grower (available Q1 - 2013) ' Monitors produce temperature from field to pack-house. Giving the ability to perform better QC and prioritize what is pre-cooled first.

FreshMax Distribution (available December 2012) ' Tracks the temperature of each pallet of produce in a refrigerated truck from pack house to distribution center. An exclusive algorithm gives a 'fresh-grade' that gives warehouse operators an indication of what to ship out or deliver first.

Temperature management from harvest to retail is critical for maintaining the quality, freshness and safety of temperature-sensitive foods. For fresh produce, studies have shown that the pre-cooling process is key to delivering freshness at the end of the value chain. According to a post-harvest study, leaving produce just 2 degrees warmer than prescribed at pre-cooling can eliminate at least 3 days of shelf life down the line. Even today's most advanced pre-coolers depend primarily on elapsed time or pulp sampling to decide when the fruit is properly 'pre-cooled,' but these methods have distinct disadvantages:

Elapsed Time: Are all of the pallets really finished precooling at the same time?

Sampling: Are all of the pallets really the same temperature?

FreshMax PreCool provides the ability to know the temperature status of each individual produce pallet throughout the pre-cooling process in real-time. It delivers the ability to manage multiple products with variable temperature ranges in one pre-cooler. The solution offers a graphical interface that delivers clear and concise information to operators and management of the status of the product inside the precooler, without having to open the precooler, reducing labor costs and simplifying operations. As a result, management has complete visibility of several pre-cooling units simultaneously − from a single control point ' both on-site or remotely. The business intelligence engine creates reports that track both pre-cooler performance and exceptions to performance standards.

'On-demand access to actionable data about