Why Organizations Choose ATEK Over Cooper-Atkins
Few names in temperature measurement carry as much history as Cooper-Atkins. Founded in 1885 in Middlefield, Connecticut, the company has been building thermometers and temperature instruments for nearly a century and a half. That legacy now sits within Copeland, the refrigeration and monitoring company that Blackstone carved out of Emerson Electric in May 2023. For organizations whose monitoring needs go beyond food safety thermometers into pharmaceutical compliance, life sciences, or hospital pharmacy environments, the question is straightforward: does a 135-year-old food safety instrument brand deliver the continuous monitoring and regulatory compliance your facility requires?
Note: Cooper-Atkins now operates under the Copeland umbrella. For a broader comparison of Copeland’s commercial refrigeration monitoring suite (ProAct, Site Supervisor), see our Emerson-Copeland comparison page.
Understanding Cooper-Atkins
Cooper-Atkins Corporation was founded in 1885 in Middlefield, Connecticut, making it one of the oldest temperature instrument manufacturers in North America. Originally acquired by Emerson Electric, the brand now falls under Copeland, the refrigeration-focused entity that Blackstone acquired majority ownership of during the May 2023 Emerson spinoff. Copeland employs approximately 18,000 people and reported $5 billion in fiscal 2022 revenue across its refrigeration and monitoring portfolio.
Cooper-Atkins’ core catalog includes digital thermometers, thermocouple probes, infrared thermometers, humidity instruments, timers, and food safety monitoring systems. Their primary customer base spans quick-service restaurants, institutional food operations, grocery chains, and foodservice distributors. While Cooper-Atkins offers some connected monitoring capabilities, the brand’s identity remains rooted in handheld instruments and food safety compliance.
Cooper-Atkins’ recognized strengths include:
- 135+ Year Heritage in Temperature Instruments — With nearly 140 years of operation, Cooper-Atkins carries strong brand recognition in the foodservice industry. Many kitchen managers and food safety professionals grew up using Cooper-Atkins thermometers, and the brand maintains broad distribution through foodservice supply channels.
- Broad Instrument Portfolio — The product line covers virtually every handheld temperature measurement need in a commercial kitchen: thermocouple probes for grills, infrared guns for receiving docks, digital thermometers for walk-in coolers, and timers for food holding compliance.
- Copeland/Emerson Backing — Operating under Copeland provides access to a larger commercial refrigeration ecosystem, including ProAct remote monitoring services and Site Supervisor facility control. For organizations already running Copeland compressors, there is potential integration advantage.
Common Challenges with Cooper-Atkins
Organizations evaluating or currently using Cooper-Atkins for environments beyond foodservice frequently encounter these considerations:
- Point-in-Time Measurements, Not Continuous Monitoring: Cooper-Atkins’ core products are handheld instruments that capture temperature at the moment of measurement. For regulated environments requiring continuous environmental records with automated alarming, manual spot-checks leave compliance gaps between readings.
- Food Safety HACCP, Not Pharmaceutical GxP: The Cooper-Atkins platform is built around HACCP food safety compliance, critical control point monitoring, and health department inspection readiness. It does not provide the electronic signatures, ALCOA+ audit trails, or validation documentation that FDA 21 CFR Part 11 requires for pharmaceutical and life sciences operations.
- Limited Cloud Platform Maturity: While Cooper-Atkins offers some connected monitoring products, the cloud platform lacks the depth of purpose-built environmental monitoring solutions. Real-time dashboards, automated reporting, and multi-site management capabilities are basic compared to platforms designed from the ground up for continuous compliance monitoring.
- Calibration Without Accreditation: Cooper-Atkins instruments require periodic calibration, but the company does not maintain an in-house A2LA-accredited (ISO 17025) calibration laboratory. Organizations must rely on third-party calibration services, adding cost and turnaround time.
- Business Hours Support Model: Support is available during standard business hours through Copeland’s corporate structure. For facilities with 24/7 operations where a temperature excursion at 3 AM requires immediate human intervention, this leaves overnight and weekend gaps.
How ATEK Addresses These Needs
Full FDA 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance, Not Food Safety HACCP: Cooper-Atkins serves food safety inspectors; ATEK serves FDA auditors. ATEK’s platform provides native FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance with electronic signatures, complete ALCOA+ audit trails, and automated IQ/OQ/PQ validation documentation included by default. For organizations in pharmaceutical manufacturing or hospital pharmacy environments, this is the compliance foundation Cooper-Atkins’ food safety platform cannot provide.
Continuous Cloud Monitoring Replacing Spot-Check Instruments: Where Cooper-Atkins measures temperature at a single moment with a handheld probe, ATEK monitors continuously with 30-second data updates, automated alerting, and six months of local data storage for zero data loss during network outages. This transition from manual spot-checks to automated continuous monitoring eliminates the compliance gaps inherent in instrument-based approaches.
A2LA-Accredited Calibration Lab In-House: ATEK maintains an A2LA-accredited (ISO 17025) calibration laboratory in-house. NIST-traceable calibration certificates are generated on-site without third-party delays or additional service fees. For organizations currently sending Cooper-Atkins instruments to external calibration providers, this consolidation eliminates a logistical burden and reduces turnaround time.
24/7 Live Support with 5-Minute Response: Cooper-Atkins support routes through Copeland’s corporate structure during business hours. ATEK’s bilingual Montreal-based team answers the phone within 5 minutes, 24/7, including overnight and weekends. When a cold chain excursion occurs at 2 AM and product is at risk, the response time difference between business-hours and round-the-clock support is measured in lost inventory and compliance deviations.
All-Inclusive Pricing Replacing Instrument-Plus-Subscription Stacking: Cooper-Atkins’ model requires upfront instrument purchases, separate monitoring subscriptions for connected devices, and additional fees for calibration and training. ATEK bundles hardware, software, calibration, validation, training, and 24/7 support into a single per-monitoring-point price with no hidden costs or annual escalations.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Cooper-Atkins | ATEK | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature instrument heritage | 135+ years, extensive catalog | Monitoring-focused sensors | Cooper-Atkins |
| Copeland/Blackstone backing | $5B revenue entity | Independent, monitoring-dedicated | Cooper-Atkins |
| Handheld instrument variety | Thermocouples, IR, probes, timers | Wireless monitoring sensors | Cooper-Atkins |
| FDA 21 CFR Part 11 | Not available | Full native compliance | ATEK |
| Continuous cloud monitoring | Limited, add-on | Core platform capability | ATEK |
| A2LA-accredited calibration | Not available (third-party) | In-house, included in pricing | ATEK |
| 24/7 support with SLA | Business hours, no SLA | 5-minute guarantee, 24/7 | ATEK |
| Bilingual support (EN/FR) | Not available | Montreal-based, native bilingual | ATEK |
Who Benefits Most from Switching
Organizations in these situations see the greatest impact when moving from Cooper-Atkins to ATEK:
- Facilities outgrowing handheld instruments that need to transition from manual spot-check thermometers to continuous automated environmental monitoring with compliance-grade records
- Organizations adding pharmaceutical or life sciences operations alongside existing food safety programs, requiring FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance that Cooper-Atkins’ HACCP-focused tools cannot provide
- Canadian facilities needing bilingual support and local data hosting for Health Canada, PIPEDA, and provincial regulatory compliance that Copeland’s US-based corporate support structure does not address
- Multi-environment operations (e.g., hospital systems with both pharmacy cold storage and kitchen operations) that need a single compliance-grade platform replacing a patchwork of Cooper-Atkins instruments and separate monitoring subscriptions
Making the Transition
Switching from Cooper-Atkins instruments and monitoring to ATEK follows a structured approach that accounts for the fundamental shift from handheld measurement to continuous monitoring:
- Discovery — We map your current Cooper-Atkins deployment: which instruments are in use, where connected monitoring exists, what HACCP workflows are active, and which environments require upgraded compliance (pharmaceutical, hospital pharmacy, cold chain)
- Parallel Deployment — ATEK wireless sensors install alongside existing Cooper-Atkins instruments. Both systems operate during the validation period, ensuring no monitoring gaps while your team builds familiarity with continuous cloud-based dashboards
- Validation — Complete IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included for all regulated environments. Our team documents the transition from instrument-based spot-checks to continuous monitoring, providing the qualification evidence your QA department needs
- Cutover — Phased transition by area or facility type. Food safety environments may retain Cooper-Atkins handheld instruments for spot-checks while ATEK handles continuous compliance monitoring. 24/7 support is active from day one
When Cooper-Atkins May Be the Right Fit
Cooper-Atkins can be appropriate for organizations that operate primarily in foodservice and food safety environments, need a broad selection of handheld temperature instruments for kitchen operations, and prioritize HACCP compliance for health department inspections. Facilities already embedded in the Copeland refrigeration ecosystem (compressors, ProAct monitoring) may find value in keeping Cooper-Atkins instruments as part of that integrated equipment relationship. Organizations that only require point-in-time temperature measurement without continuous monitoring, automated compliance records, or pharmaceutical-grade validation can find Cooper-Atkins’ traditional instrument approach sufficient for their needs.
When ATEK Is the Better Choice
Choose ATEK when you need:
- FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance that Cooper-Atkins’ food safety platform does not provide, with electronic signatures, audit trails, and validation included
- Continuous automated monitoring replacing manual spot-checks with Cooper-Atkins handheld thermometers, eliminating compliance gaps between readings
- A2LA-accredited calibration without third-party providers, included in your monitoring pricing rather than billed as a separate Cooper-Atkins instrument service
- 24/7 live phone support with a 5-minute response guarantee, replacing Cooper-Atkins’ business-hours-only corporate support model
- Canadian data hosting and bilingual support with PIPEDA, FIPPA, and provincial privacy compliance from a Montreal-based team
- All-inclusive pricing that bundles hardware, software, calibration, validation, and support into one cost, replacing Cooper-Atkins’ instrument-purchase-plus-subscription model
Start with a free compliance assessment to see how ATEK compares to Cooper-Atkins for your specific monitoring requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cooper-Atkins suitable for pharmaceutical monitoring?
No. Cooper-Atkins is a food safety instrument company built around HACCP compliance for foodservice operations. Their products do not provide FDA 21 CFR Part 11 electronic signatures, ALCOA+ audit trails, or IQ/OQ/PQ validation documentation. ATEK is purpose-built for pharmaceutical manufacturing, hospital pharmacy, and life sciences environments with native regulatory compliance.
What is the relationship between Cooper-Atkins, Emerson, and Copeland?
Cooper-Atkins was originally acquired by Emerson Electric. In May 2023, Emerson spun off its commercial refrigeration and monitoring businesses into Copeland, with Blackstone acquiring majority ownership. Cooper-Atkins now operates as a brand within the Copeland portfolio. For a comparison of Copeland’s broader monitoring suite (ProAct, Site Supervisor), see our Emerson-Copeland comparison.
How does switching from Cooper-Atkins instruments to ATEK continuous monitoring work?
The transition moves your facility from manual spot-check thermometer readings to automated continuous monitoring. ATEK wireless sensors deploy alongside existing Cooper-Atkins instruments during a parallel validation period. Your team continues normal operations while building familiarity with real-time dashboards. Full IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included. Typical deployments complete within weeks, not months.
Does ATEK work for facilities that need both food safety and pharmaceutical monitoring?
Yes. Organizations like hospital systems that manage both kitchen operations and pharmacy cold storage can use ATEK as a single platform for both environments. ATEK handles food safety compliance alongside pharmaceutical-grade FDA 21 CFR Part 11 monitoring, eliminating the need for separate Cooper-Atkins instruments in one area and a different compliance platform in another.
How does Cooper-Atkins calibration compare to ATEK’s?
Cooper-Atkins instruments require calibration through third-party services, adding cost, logistics, and turnaround time. ATEK maintains an A2LA-accredited (ISO 17025) calibration laboratory in-house, providing NIST-traceable certificates on-site with calibration included in your monitoring pricing. During regulatory audits, in-house A2LA accreditation provides stronger evidence than third-party calibration certificates.
Is ATEK more expensive than Cooper-Atkins?
Cooper-Atkins’ model separates instrument purchases, monitoring subscriptions, calibration services, and training into individual line items. ATEK’s all-inclusive per-monitoring-point pricing bundles hardware, software, calibration, validation, training, and 24/7 support into a single cost. For organizations requiring continuous compliance monitoring rather than handheld instruments, ATEK’s bundled model typically delivers lower total cost of ownership while providing significantly more capability.