Time Tracking for Cold Chamber Compliance

• [SITUATION]:
During an inspection at one of the company's warehouse, authorities identified non-conformities with NR36 labor legislation for cold chamber operations. The warehouse received an official notice requiring corrective action within a strict deadline. Initially, the HR team proposed using WMS log-in and log-out data to monitor operator time. However, the process was inefficient, relying on manual extraction and failing to reliably confirm whether mandatory rest periods were being taken outside the cold chamber. At that point, my team was assigned to resolve the issue within the limited timeframe.

• [TASK]:
To address the challenge, I reprioritized our project pipeline and allocated an additional resource to accelerate progress. I conducted a thorough review of the applicable legislation, facilitated alignment meetings with the project team, and engaged procurement to evaluate available market solutions. After identifying limitations in off-the-shelf SaaS offerings, I collaborated with one of our RFID technology partners to design a tailor-made solution.

• [ACTION]:
To support the initiative, I developed a business case demonstrating its economic viability. The solution would not only avert a huge potential fine but also deliver an annual savings by eliminating the need for insalubrity payments to cold chamber operators.
In addition, we designed a tailor-made system to monitor operator presence in the cold chamber through RFID tag detection at three critical points of the workday: (i) entry into the cold chamber, (ii) rest periods, and (iii) end of shift. To minimize costs and accelerate deployment, part of the hardware was sourced internally from existing assets, including monitors, PCs, speakers, and cables.

• [RESULT]:
The project was successfully delivered within the regulatory deadline. The new application was presented to the labor inspector, who praised the system and the company’s commitment to compliance, leading to the removal of the official notice.
Additionally, the initiative was submitted to the XIX Abralog Awards and was shortlisted as one of the most innovative projects of the year in the logistics sector.