Why Organizations Choose ATEK Over Sensitech
When Sensitech’s parent company Carrier Global completed the acquisition of Berlinger & Co. Monitoring Solutions in August 2024, it signaled a strategic reality: Sensitech’s core cold chain logistics business needed to acquire its way into stationary facility monitoring. For organizations whose primary need is continuous environmental monitoring of labs, pharmacies, and cleanrooms — not in-transit shipment tracking — the question becomes whether a logistics-first platform can match a purpose-built facility monitoring solution.
Understanding Sensitech
Sensitech was founded in 1990 in Beverly, Massachusetts, and has spent over three decades building the industry standard for pharmaceutical cold chain visibility. The company operates as a subsidiary of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), a $22 billion+ intelligent climate and energy solutions company. Sensitech’s flagship products — the TempTale family of data loggers and the SensiWatch IoT platform — are designed primarily for monitoring temperature-sensitive products during shipment across air, ocean, road, and rail transport.
In February 2024, Sensitech launched the TempTale GEO X, a real-time IoT temperature monitoring device covering -95°C to +55°C with global LTE-M/2G connectivity. Combined with the SensiWatch platform and Lynx Logix digital solution, it provides end-to-end shipment visibility and automated decision-making for pharmaceutical logistics.
Sensitech’s recognized strengths include:
- Cold Chain Logistics Leadership — Over 30 years as the go-to provider for in-transit pharmaceutical monitoring, with TempTale loggers used by major pharma companies worldwide for shipment qualification and excursion documentation
- Carrier Global Resources — Access to Carrier’s global infrastructure, Lynx digital platform for supply chain intelligence, and enterprise sales channels across climate solutions, refrigeration, and building automation
- Berlinger Acquisition — The August 2024 acquisition of Berlinger & Co. added the Fridge-tag product line for vaccine refrigerator monitoring and SmartSystem for real-time stationary tracking, plus approximately 85 employees across Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the US
Common Challenges with Sensitech
Organizations evaluating or currently using Sensitech for facility monitoring frequently encounter these considerations:
- Logistics-first product architecture: Sensitech’s core platform is engineered for in-transit monitoring — tracking shipments from origin to destination. ColdStream Site, their stationary monitoring product, is a secondary offering without the same depth of development, integration, or feature maturity as the logistics platform
- Disposable device economics: The TempTale product line is designed around single-use or limited-cycle shipping monitors. Organizations that need continuous, reusable monitoring for fixed locations find themselves outside Sensitech’s core product design philosophy
- Enterprise procurement overhead: As a division within Carrier Global, engaging Sensitech follows corporate procurement workflows. Facility monitoring teams that need rapid deployment can face extended sales cycles, multi-stakeholder approvals, and implementation timelines structured for enterprise logistics contracts
- Berlinger integration uncertainty: The Berlinger acquisition is recent (August 2024), and product integration between Sensitech’s SensiWatch, ColdStream, and Berlinger’s SmartSystem/Fridge-tag platforms is still evolving. Organizations may encounter overlapping products, unclear roadmaps, or transitional support structures
- Support model mismatch: Sensitech’s support infrastructure is built around logistics and supply chain operations — shipment tracking issues, TempTale device returns, and SensiWatch platform queries. Facility monitoring requires different expertise: sensor calibration, compliance workflows, regulatory documentation, and real-time excursion response
How ATEK Addresses These Needs
Facility-First Platform Design: Where Sensitech built its platform around tracking products in motion, ATEK was designed from the ground up for stationary facility monitoring. Every feature — sensor placement optimization, room-level alarming, compliance report templates, calibration scheduling — addresses the specific needs of pharmaceutical monitoring in labs, pharmacies, cleanrooms, and warehouses. There is no logistics layer to work around.
5-Minute Response from Monitoring Specialists: Sensitech’s support team handles logistics queries across Carrier Global’s portfolio. When your facility monitoring system flags a 2 AM temperature excursion in a vaccine storage unit, ATEK’s Montreal-based team — specialists in environmental monitoring, not supply chain logistics — answers in under five minutes. No routing through Carrier’s corporate support structure.
A2LA-Accredited Calibration Without Logistics Delays: Sensitech’s logistics-focused devices typically rely on third-party calibration services or device replacement programs. ATEK’s in-house A2LA-accredited calibration lab in Canada handles calibration, certificates, and traceability documentation directly — no shipping sensors internationally, no third-party coordination, and no customs delays for Canadian facilities.
Transparent Per-Point Pricing: Sensitech’s pricing spans multiple product lines (TempTale per-unit costs, SensiWatch subscriptions, ColdStream licensing, Berlinger product pricing) each with separate commercial structures. ATEK consolidates everything — hardware, cloud platform, calibration, validation documentation, training, and 24/7 support — into a single per-monitoring-point rate with no hidden fees.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Sensitech | ATEK | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | In-transit cold chain logistics | Stationary facility monitoring | Depends on need |
| Global supply chain visibility | SensiWatch + TempTale GEO X | Not offered | Sensitech |
| Facility monitoring depth | ColdStream Site + Berlinger (recent) | Purpose-built platform | ATEK |
| Parent company resources | Carrier Global (NYSE: CARR, $22B+) | Monitoring-focused company | Sensitech |
| Support response | Enterprise/business hours | 5-minute guarantee, 24/7 | ATEK |
| Calibration | Third-party / device replacement | A2LA-accredited in-house lab | ATEK |
| Bilingual support (EN/FR) | Not available | Montreal-based, native French | ATEK |
| Canadian data hosting | US-hosted | Canadian-hosted, PIPEDA-compliant | ATEK |
| Pricing model | Multi-product, multi-tier | All-inclusive per monitoring point | ATEK |
Who Benefits Most from Switching
- Facilities currently using ColdStream Site who find the platform lacks the depth, reporting, or compliance features of a purpose-built facility monitoring solution — particularly those approaching contract renewal
- Organizations that adopted Sensitech for logistics and attempted to extend TempTale or SensiWatch into stationary facility monitoring, encountering limitations in continuous monitoring, compliance workflows, or real-time alerting
- Canadian pharmaceutical facilities needing bilingual support, Canadian data hosting with PIPEDA compliance, and local A2LA-accredited calibration without cross-border logistics
Making the Transition
Switching from Sensitech to ATEK is designed around the reality that most organizations separating facility monitoring from their logistics platform:
- Scope definition — We identify which monitoring points are currently served by ColdStream Site, Berlinger Fridge-tag, or repurposed TempTale devices, and map each location’s compliance requirements (FDA 21 CFR Part 11, Health Canada, provincial regulations)
- Parallel deployment — ATEK wireless sensors install alongside existing Sensitech equipment. Both systems run simultaneously, ensuring continuous compliance documentation during the transition period
- Validation and qualification — Complete IQ/OQ/PQ documentation is included. Our team understands the specific differences between Sensitech’s logistics-oriented data format and ATEK’s compliance-first reporting structure
- Phased cutover — Facility monitoring migrates to ATEK while your Sensitech logistics monitoring (TempTale, SensiWatch) continues unchanged for in-transit needs. Many organizations maintain both platforms — Sensitech for shipping, ATEK for facilities
When Sensitech May Be the Right Fit
Sensitech is the stronger choice for organizations whose primary monitoring need is in-transit cold chain logistics — tracking pharmaceutical shipments across global supply chains, qualifying shipping lanes, and documenting excursions during transport. With the TempTale GEO X and SensiWatch platform, Sensitech offers capabilities in global shipment visibility that ATEK does not replicate. Organizations with deep Carrier Global relationships and existing SensiWatch deployments across their logistics operations may prefer a single-vendor approach for both transit and facility monitoring.
When ATEK Is the Better Choice
Choose ATEK when you need:
- Purpose-built stationary facility monitoring rather than a logistics platform adapted for facilities
- A2LA-accredited calibration from a Canadian lab without international shipping or third-party coordination
- 5-minute live support response from environmental monitoring specialists, not Carrier Global’s enterprise support channels
- All-inclusive pricing replacing Sensitech’s multi-product, multi-tier commercial structure (TempTale + SensiWatch + ColdStream + Berlinger)
- Bilingual support and Canadian data hosting for Quebec and Canadian facilities with PIPEDA and provincial privacy compliance
Start with a free assessment to see how ATEK compares for your specific facility monitoring requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ATEK replace Sensitech for cold chain logistics monitoring?
No — and that is by design. ATEK is purpose-built for stationary facility monitoring (labs, pharmacies, cleanrooms, warehouses), not in-transit shipment tracking. Many organizations use ATEK for facility monitoring alongside Sensitech for logistics, maintaining both platforms for their respective strengths.
How does ATEK compare to Sensitech’s ColdStream Site for facility monitoring?
ColdStream Site is Sensitech’s stationary monitoring product, but it is secondary to their core logistics business. ATEK offers deeper compliance features (native FDA 21 CFR Part 11, ALCOA+ data integrity, automatic compliance reports), faster support response (5-minute guarantee vs. business hours), included calibration and validation documentation, and a cloud-native architecture that does not require on-premises infrastructure.
Will the Berlinger acquisition make Sensitech better for facility monitoring?
The Berlinger acquisition (completed August 2024) adds Fridge-tag for vaccine refrigerator monitoring and SmartSystem for real-time tracking. However, integration between Sensitech’s existing platforms and Berlinger’s products is ongoing. Organizations evaluating facility monitoring today should assess current platform capabilities rather than anticipated future integration.
Does ATEK meet the same regulatory standards as Sensitech?
Yes. ATEK provides full FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance including electronic signatures, complete audit trails, and ALCOA+ data integrity. ATEK’s A2LA-accredited calibration lab provides ISO 17025-traceable certificates. For Canadian facilities, ATEK also addresses Health Canada and provincial regulatory requirements that Sensitech’s US-centric compliance framework does not specifically target.
How long does migration from Sensitech to ATEK take for facility monitoring?
Typical facility monitoring migrations from ColdStream Site or repurposed Sensitech devices take 2-4 weeks per site, including parallel operation and IQ/OQ/PQ validation. Your in-transit Sensitech monitoring (TempTale, SensiWatch) continues unaffected — the two platforms serve different functions.
Is ATEK more expensive than Sensitech for facility monitoring?
ATEK’s all-inclusive per-monitoring-point pricing typically compares favorably to the combined cost of ColdStream Site licensing, third-party calibration, validation services, and Carrier Global professional services fees. Request a demo to receive a detailed comparison based on your specific monitoring requirements.