Cold-chain product fails quietly. A vaccine fridge that sat at 9 °C over a long weekend looks identical to one that held 4 °C, and the only thing that tells them apart is a record nobody was there to write. FWC Calibration installs continuous monitoring on vaccine refrigerators, pharmaceutical storage and temperature-controlled distribution across Sydney, NSW and the ACT, with the sensors calibrated and documented by the same team.
Within range
4.2°C
Illustration of the dashboard view — not live customer data. Shown at the 2–8 °C vaccine range.
Where cold-chain monitoring is expected
- Vaccine storageGeneral practice, pharmacy and immunisation providers
- Pharmaceutical distributionWholesalers, 3PL and temperature-controlled couriers
- Compounding and dispensingPharmacy fridges holding prepared and high-value product
- Pathology and diagnosticsSpecimen storage, reagents and controlled samples
- Clinical trial materialInvestigational product with documented storage obligations
- Food-grade cold storageWhere product value makes an unnoticed excursion expensive
What the system gives you
- Continuous logging per unit, not spot checks
- Alerts by SMS and email before an excursion becomes a write-off, with escalation if nobody acknowledges
- Minimum and maximum captured between readings, so short spikes are not averaged away
- Power-failure and sensor-offline alerts — a monitoring system that goes quiet must say so
- Exportable history for incident investigation and for whoever audits you
- Calibration certificates for the sensors, traceable to national standards
Monitoring, mapping and calibration are three different jobs
They get conflated constantly — and the distinction is exactly what you are asked to explain when someone questions storage integrity.
- Monitoring is continuous and ongoing. It tells you what a unit is doing right now and what it did last month.
- Temperature mapping is a study. It establishes where the warm and cold spots in a cool room or chamber actually are, which is how you know where to put the monitoring sensor in the first place.
- Calibration is periodic verification that an instrument reads true, and it is what makes the other two defensible.
A site with strict storage obligations usually needs a mapping study once, monitoring continuously, and calibration on an interval. We can quote the three together so they line up rather than arriving from three suppliers on three schedules.
Cold-chain FAQ
Can this cover vaccine fridges?
Yes — vaccine refrigerators are one of the most common installs, because the 2 °C to 8 °C requirement leaves little margin and the consequence of an unnoticed excursion is discarded stock and revaccination. Alarm thresholds are set to your protocol, and we recommend a glycol-buffered probe so the reading reflects the product rather than a door-open air spike.
Does it monitor product temperature or air temperature?
Either, and the choice matters. Air sensors react immediately, which is useful for spotting a failing unit but produces alarms every time a door opens. A glycol-buffered probe tracks what the stock is actually doing. Most cold-chain sites want the buffered reading for the record and an air reading for early warning.
Can we monitor equipment in transit?
Fixed installations are our core work. For vehicles and shipments, talk to us about scope — we would rather tell you where the practical limits are before you buy than fit something that does not answer your question.
Are you NATA accredited?
FWC Calibration is not a NATA-accredited laboratory. Our reference standards are calibrated by NATA-accredited laboratories, giving traceability to national standards, and we operate an ISO 9001:2015 quality system. Calibrations are documented to ISO/IEC 17025 principles. Where your quality agreement specifically requires an accredited laboratory, tell us before booking and we will confirm scope rather than let it surface in an audit.
Talk to us about your cold chain
Tell us what you store, the range it has to hold and how many units are involved. Call 0409 663 566 or send an enquiry.