How to Leverage IoT to Increase Biosecurity

Biosecurity is critical to protect millions of dollars’ worth of product at food manufacturing plants, storage facilities, pharmaceutical facilities, etc. Every precaution must be taken to ensure that these areas are kept safe and secure from rodents. Facility managers are shifting their focus to leveraging the power of IoT-connected devices to increase biosecurity. This digital transformation has allowed facility managers to fully leverage the value-added benefits of remote monitoring solutions: data transparency, real-time activity monitoring, accurate quality reporting and increased safety and security.

A global pharmaceutical customer of VLINK, where biosecurity is of the utmost importance, had a goal of reducing and/or eliminating rodenticides. Since installing over 300 VLINK traps, the company has been able track and successfully manage the number of incursions at their site since launching the system in 2020.

VLINK is the Solution

VLINK Mouse and Rat Tunnel Traps use the most effective and innovative way to eliminate a rodent by utilizing an electric shock to humanely dispatch the rodent while keeping it hidden within the device. The VLINK trap is fully equipped to send information immediately to the VLINK desktop and mobile application. The traps are designed to be robust and reliable in all types of weather and environmental conditions, allowing the device to be used outdoors and indoors. The VLINK Pest Network also tracks and stores all the important information pertaining to the facility’s rodent pressure. Utilizing this data is incredibly important to maintaining an assessment-based program to identify risk as soon as possible to prevent any losses from occurring. The shift from an inspection-reaction based approach to an assessment-based data driven approach will shorten the reaction time needed to respond to a possible incursion of rodents.

Factors that led to decreases in incursions and success with VLINK:

1. Using the instant alerting feature of the VLINK system, facility data was tracked and pinpointed specific locations where rodents had entered. Exclusion measures were performed to prevent further incursion. By using this approach, the facility was able to strengthen their rodent control program through a preventative approach rather than a reactive approach.
2. The ability to review and analyze capture data by visualizing the dispatched rodent proved beneficial compared to rodenticides. The rodent can be removed from the trap and disposed of properly, which prevents attracting secondary insect pests that feed off expired rodents.
3. Historic rodenticide usage at the facility was approximately 220 pounds per year. From 2021 to 2022, the VLINK system eliminated a total of 750 rodents and the number of incursions decreased compared to the years prior.

With the introduction of VLINK, companies have proven that they have an excellent non-toxic alternative for effective rodent control which also provides valuable insights to identify active rodent pressure at the facility.