Why Organizations Choose ATEK Over Berlinger
Few companies in cold chain monitoring can claim a heritage stretching back to 1865. Berlinger & Co. AG began as a Swiss textile company in Ganterschwil before evolving into a temperature monitoring specialist whose Fridge-tag products became synonymous with vaccine refrigerator monitoring in WHO immunization programs worldwide. That chapter took a significant turn in August 2024, when Carrier Global Corporation acquired Berlinger’s Monitoring Solutions division, folding it into the Sensitech ecosystem alongside TempTale loggers and the ColdStream platform. For organizations whose monitoring needs extend beyond transport logging and individual refrigerator indicators to full-facility environmental compliance, the question is whether a transport-and-vaccine-focused product line — now navigating corporate integration — can match a purpose-built facility monitoring platform.
Understanding Berlinger
Berlinger & Co. AG was founded in 1865 in Ganterschwil, Switzerland, making it one of the oldest companies in the temperature monitoring space. The company transitioned from textile manufacturing to temperature-sensitive solutions, building a portfolio centered on vaccine cold chain and transport monitoring. Its key product lines include the Fridge-tag series for pharmacy and vaccine refrigerator monitoring, the Q-tag series for transport temperature logging, SmartMonitor electronic data loggers, and ShockWatch impact indicators.
Berlinger achieved particular prominence through WHO PQS (Performance, Quality, and Safety) prequalification, which made its products the standard choice for global immunization programs, UNICEF supply chains, and public health agencies. In August 2024, Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR) completed the acquisition of Berlinger’s Monitoring Solutions division, integrating it into the Sensitech portfolio.
Berlinger’s recognized strengths include:
- WHO PQS Prequalification Leadership — Berlinger products carry WHO PQS certification, a distinction that has made Fridge-tag the default monitoring solution for vaccine programs managed by the WHO, UNICEF, and national immunization agencies across more than 100 countries
- Fridge-tag Brand Recognition — The Fridge-tag series has achieved category-defining status in pharmacy and vaccine refrigerator monitoring, with a massive installed base in hospital pharmacies, public health clinics, and vaccination centers that creates strong brand loyalty
- 160+ Year Heritage with Carrier Resources — The combination of Berlinger’s 160-year Swiss manufacturing reputation with Carrier Global’s $22 billion+ enterprise infrastructure provides financial stability, global distribution channels, and access to Sensitech’s logistics monitoring technology
Common Challenges with Berlinger
Organizations evaluating or currently using Berlinger products for facility monitoring frequently encounter these considerations:
- Transport and vaccine scope limitations: Berlinger’s product line is designed around two primary use cases — transport logging (Q-tag) and individual refrigerator monitoring (Fridge-tag). Organizations needing facility-wide environmental monitoring across multiple rooms, cleanrooms, or laboratories find no comprehensive solution within Berlinger’s portfolio
- Per-unit device economics: Fridge-tag indicators are purchased per refrigerator, Q-tag loggers are per-shipment consumables, and SmartMonitor units require individual hardware purchases. As monitoring needs scale across a facility, per-unit costs accumulate without the economies of a platform-based approach
- Post-acquisition integration uncertainty: The August 2024 Carrier acquisition places Berlinger within a portfolio that already includes Sensitech’s ColdStream and TempTale product lines. Organizations face questions about product roadmap continuity, support structure changes, and whether Berlinger’s standalone identity will persist or merge into Sensitech’s broader platform
- No FDA 21 CFR Part 11 for facilities: Berlinger’s compliance focus is WHO PQS for vaccine transport and storage. Facilities requiring FDA 21 CFR Part 11 electronic records and signatures, audit trails, and ALCOA+ data integrity for GxP environmental monitoring find these capabilities absent from Berlinger’s product architecture
- European support model for North American facilities: Berlinger operates from Ganterschwil, Switzerland, with North American distribution through channel partners. Organizations in Eastern and Pacific time zones rely on distributor support rather than direct manufacturer engagement, with calibration requiring international shipping back to Switzerland
How ATEK Addresses These Needs
Facility-Wide Environmental Monitoring: Berlinger monitors individual refrigerators and transport shipments. ATEK monitors entire facilities. From vaccine storage units to cleanrooms, laboratories, and pharmacies, ATEK’s platform provides unified environmental monitoring across every room and critical asset in a facility — not one Fridge-tag per refrigerator, but a single compliance platform covering all monitoring points with centralized alerting, reporting, and audit trails.
5-Minute Response from North American Specialists: Berlinger’s support routes through European headquarters and regional distributors, creating response delays during North American business hours and overnight gaps during Eastern time. When a vaccine storage excursion occurs at 3 AM in a hospital pharmacy, ATEK’s Montreal-based team — specialists in facility environmental monitoring — responds in under five minutes. No distributor relay, no time zone translation, no next-morning callbacks from Switzerland.
A2LA-Accredited Calibration Without International Shipping: Berlinger calibration requires sending devices to Switzerland or coordinating through European-based service channels. For North American facilities, this means customs delays, international shipping costs, and multi-week turnaround times that leave monitoring gaps. ATEK’s in-house A2LA-accredited calibration lab in Canada handles calibration, certificates, and traceability documentation locally — no border crossings, no customs paperwork, no extended wait times.
All-Inclusive Pricing Replacing Per-Unit Purchases: Berlinger’s model charges per device — each Fridge-tag, each Q-tag, each SmartMonitor unit — plus separate costs for platform access, calibration services, and distributor margins. ATEK consolidates everything into a single per-monitoring-point rate: hardware, cloud platform, calibration, IQ/OQ/PQ validation documentation, training, and 24/7 support included. No per-unit device purchasing, no accumulating distributor markup as monitoring scales.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Berlinger | ATEK | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHO PQS prequalification | Certified across product lines | Not PQS-certified | Berlinger |
| Vaccine cold chain heritage | 30+ years, global standard | Facility monitoring focus | Berlinger |
| Parent company resources | Carrier Global (NYSE: CARR) | Monitoring-focused company | Berlinger |
| Facility-wide monitoring | Individual device monitoring | Unified platform, all rooms | ATEK |
| FDA 21 CFR Part 11 | Not available for facilities | Native compliance | ATEK |
| Support response | EU business hours, distributor network | 5-minute guarantee, 24/7 | ATEK |
| Calibration | Switzerland-based | A2LA-accredited, in-house (Canada) | ATEK |
| Bilingual support (EN/FR) | Not available | Montreal-based, native French | ATEK |
| Pricing model | Per-unit device + distributor markup | All-inclusive per monitoring point | ATEK |
Who Benefits Most from Switching
- Hospital pharmacies using Fridge-tag for individual refrigerators that need to expand to facility-wide environmental monitoring with centralized compliance reporting, electronic signatures, and audit trails — particularly those approaching Health Canada or provincial pharmacy board audits
- Organizations evaluating Berlinger post-acquisition who want to assess alternatives before committing to the evolving Sensitech/Carrier product structure, especially during contract renewals or when existing distributor relationships are in transition
- Canadian vaccine storage facilities needing bilingual support, Canadian data hosting with PIPEDA compliance, local A2LA-accredited calibration, and 24/7 response from monitoring specialists in the same time zone
Making the Transition
Switching from Berlinger to ATEK addresses a common scenario: organizations that started with individual Fridge-tag units for refrigerator monitoring and now need comprehensive facility compliance.
- Current state mapping — We inventory your existing Berlinger deployment: how many Fridge-tag units, SmartMonitor loggers, or Q-tag applications are in use, where they are located, and what compliance documentation (WHO PQS records, provincial audit trails) needs to be maintained during transition
- Parallel deployment — ATEK wireless sensors install alongside existing Berlinger devices. Both systems run simultaneously, ensuring continuous monitoring records for regulators and no gaps in your vaccine or pharmaceutical storage documentation
- Compliance upgrade — For organizations moving from Fridge-tag indicator monitoring to FDA 21 CFR Part 11-compliant facility monitoring, ATEK provides complete IQ/OQ/PQ validation documentation included in the deployment. Our team understands the regulatory step-up from WHO PQS transport compliance to full facility GxP monitoring
- Phased cutover — Facility monitoring migrates to ATEK zone by zone. Organizations that still use Q-tag for transport monitoring can maintain those Berlinger products for shipping while ATEK handles all stationary facility needs
When Berlinger May Be the Right Fit
Berlinger is the stronger choice for organizations whose primary need is WHO PQS-prequalified vaccine transport and storage monitoring — particularly those operating within global immunization programs, UNICEF supply chains, or public health agencies where WHO PQS certification is a procurement requirement. The Fridge-tag brand carries institutional trust in vaccine cold chain programs that no other product matches. Organizations that need only individual refrigerator monitoring with basic temperature logging, rather than facility-wide environmental compliance, will find Berlinger’s focused product line sufficient — especially those with established distributor relationships in their region.
When ATEK Is the Better Choice
Choose ATEK when you need:
- Facility-wide environmental monitoring across multiple rooms and asset types, not individual refrigerator indicators
- Native FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with electronic signatures, audit trails, and ALCOA+ data integrity — capabilities Berlinger’s WHO PQS-focused products do not provide
- A2LA-accredited calibration from a Canadian lab without shipping devices to Switzerland
- 24/7 live support with a 5-minute response from North American monitoring specialists, replacing European-timezone distributor support
- All-inclusive pricing replacing Berlinger’s per-unit device model and distributor markup with a single per-monitoring-point rate
Start with a free assessment to see how ATEK compares for your specific facility monitoring requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ATEK replace Berlinger for WHO PQS vaccine transport monitoring?
ATEK is not WHO PQS-prequalified and does not target in-transit vaccine shipment monitoring. Organizations using Q-tag for transport can maintain those Berlinger products while deploying ATEK for stationary facility monitoring. Many facilities use both — Berlinger for transport compliance and ATEK for facility-wide environmental monitoring.
How does ATEK compare to Berlinger’s Fridge-tag for pharmacy refrigerator monitoring?
Fridge-tag monitors individual refrigerators with basic temperature logging. ATEK provides continuous real-time monitoring across an entire facility — every refrigerator, freezer, cleanroom, and laboratory — with automatic excursion alerts, electronic signatures, complete audit trails, and compliance reporting. For organizations needing only a standalone indicator on a single refrigerator, Fridge-tag is sufficient. For facility-wide pharmaceutical compliance, ATEK provides the platform Fridge-tag was not designed to be.
Will the Carrier acquisition change Berlinger’s product availability?
The August 2024 Carrier Global acquisition integrated Berlinger into the Sensitech ecosystem. While Berlinger products remain available, the long-term roadmap — including whether Fridge-tag and SmartMonitor will continue as standalone products or merge into Sensitech’s ColdStream and SensiWatch platforms — is evolving. Organizations planning multi-year monitoring investments should evaluate current platform capabilities rather than anticipated future integration.
Does ATEK meet the same regulatory standards as Berlinger?
ATEK and Berlinger target different regulatory frameworks. Berlinger holds WHO PQS prequalification for vaccine cold chain. ATEK provides FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with electronic signatures, complete audit trails, and ALCOA+ data integrity for facility environmental monitoring. For Canadian facilities, ATEK also addresses Health Canada requirements, provincial pharmacy board standards, and PIPEDA data residency compliance.
How long does migration from Berlinger Fridge-tag to ATEK take?
Typical migrations from Fridge-tag to ATEK facility monitoring take 2-4 weeks per site, including parallel operation where both systems run simultaneously and full IQ/OQ/PQ validation documentation. The timeline depends on facility size and the number of monitoring points transitioning from individual Berlinger devices to ATEK’s unified platform.
Is ATEK more expensive than Berlinger’s per-unit pricing?
Berlinger’s per-unit device model (Fridge-tag per refrigerator, SmartMonitor per logger) appears lower on a single-device basis but accumulates as monitoring scales across a facility — especially with distributor markup, separate calibration costs, and no included validation documentation. ATEK’s all-inclusive per-monitoring-point pricing typically delivers lower total cost of ownership for organizations monitoring more than a handful of points. Request a demo for a detailed comparison based on your specific monitoring footprint.