Why Organizations Choose ATEK Over Varcode
Varcode’s smart temperature indicators have built a niche around ultra-low-cost transit verification and blockchain supply chain tracking. But for organizations managing temperature-controlled facilities—pharmaceutical storage, vaccine refrigeration, biotech freezers, and laboratory environments—the practical difference between point-in-time transit indicators and continuous facility monitoring determines whether excursions are prevented or discovered after product damage occurs.
Understanding Varcode
Founded in 2006 with R&D in Israel and headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, Varcode specializes in passive visual temperature indicators with integrated barcode or QR code scanning. In February 2025, FMCO acquired Varcode, expanding its supply chain intelligence portfolio. Varcode’s products are designed specifically for shipment verification and transport monitoring, not facility-based continuous temperature management.
Varcode’s recognized strengths include:
- Ultra-Low Cost Per Unit — Passive indicators cost significantly less than electronic sensors, making them economical for labeling individual shipments or pallets across large distribution networks.
- Blockchain Supply Chain Verification — Integrated blockchain creates immutable chain-of-custody documentation, enabling product authenticity verification across transport legs and regulatory inspections.
- Zero Infrastructure Required — Indicators need no power, WiFi, LoRaWAN, calibration infrastructure, or IT involvement. Attach to a shipment and scan—immediate transit verification.
Common Challenges with Varcode
Organizations evaluating Varcode or comparing it to facility monitoring solutions frequently encounter these considerations:
- Point-in-time vs. continuous monitoring tradeoff: Visual indicators capture temperature history only after transit is complete. For facility operations, this means excursions go undetected until someone visually inspects the shipment—by which time the product may already be compromised
- Manual labor for data capture and compliance: Personnel must visually inspect each indicator, manually scan barcodes, and transcribe data into quality management systems. At high volumes, this becomes labor-intensive and prone to human error
- Limited compliance documentation for regulated environments: Color-change visual indicators lack the electronic signatures, audit trails, and IQ/OQ/PQ validation documentation required by FDA 21 CFR Part 11. Pharma operations cannot use them as primary monitoring for temperature-controlled storage areas
- No facility monitoring capability: Indicators are designed exclusively for transport verification. They cannot monitor storage freezers, refrigerators, pharmaceutical cabinets, cleanrooms, or incubators—the critical environments where regulated products live between shipments
- Inability to trigger immediate response: Without real-time data, operations teams cannot intervene to prevent excursion damage. The indicator only confirms that damage already occurred
How ATEK Addresses These Needs
Continuous Real-Time Facility Monitoring: While Varcode indicators verify transit conditions after a shipment arrives, ATEK monitors temperature in your storage facilities 24/7 with 5-minute data intervals. Excursions are detected immediately, enabling rapid intervention to prevent product loss. For pharmaceutical cold-chain operations, this means the difference between saving a batch and losing it.
Automated Alerts That Enable Action: ATEK sends SMS, email, and phone alerts the instant temperature drifts outside acceptable ranges. Your team receives notification before meaningful product degradation occurs—not after inspecting an indicator that only confirms the problem happened hours earlier.
FDA 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance Built Into the Platform: Varcode indicators serve transport verification; they lack the electronic signatures, audit trails, and validation documentation required by FDA 21 CFR Part 11 for pharmaceutical storage monitoring. ATEK’s platform includes native compliance with IQ/OQ/PQ validation, data integrity documentation, and automated audit trails. No additional validation work needed.
24/7 Canadian Support with 5-Minute Response Guarantee: When a temperature excursion occurs at 2 AM on a Saturday, ATEK’s Montreal-based team answers the phone within 5 minutes. Not tomorrow morning. Not through a ticket queue. Direct access to environmental monitoring specialists who understand pharmaceutical compliance. Bilingual support (English and French) serves Quebec facilities without language barriers.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Varcode | ATEK | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transit shipment verification | Color-change indicators | Limited capability | Varcode |
| Facility continuous monitoring | Not designed for this | 24/7 real-time | ATEK |
| Time to detect facility excursion | Hours to days (manual inspection) | 5 minutes (automatic) | ATEK |
| FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance | Not available | Full compliance included | ATEK |
| Blockchain supply chain tracking | Integrated | Not included | Varcode |
| Personnel labor for data entry | High (manual inspection) | Minimal (automated) | ATEK |
| Immediate alert capability | No | SMS/email/phone alerts | ATEK |
| Cost per shipment indicator | Ultra-low | N/A (different use case) | Varcode |
| Cost per facility monitoring point | N/A (not designed for facility) | All-inclusive | ATEK |
| Facility storage monitoring | Not applicable | Yes (freezers, refrigerators, cleanrooms) | ATEK |
Complementary Use: Varcode + ATEK
Many organizations use both solutions in complementary ways:
- Varcode for transit verification: Indicators provide blockchain-verified proof that shipments maintained acceptable temperature during transport
- ATEK for facility monitoring: Continuous monitoring of storage facilities, receiving areas, and controlled environments ensures temperature integrity while products are in-house
This combined approach maximizes supply chain visibility—from shipment arrival through facility storage through final use. Varcode answers “Did this shipment arrive cold?” ATEK answers “Is our storage cold, and will it stay cold?”
Who Benefits Most from Switching
Organizations in these situations see the greatest value from ATEK:
- Pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors managing temperature-controlled storage facilities, cold rooms, and specialized environments requiring continuous real-time monitoring and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance
- Biotech and vaccine operations requiring immediate excursion detection and alert response capabilities to prevent product loss during facility operations
- Hospital pharmacies and compounding centers needing PIPEDA-compliant Canadian data hosting, bilingual support, and 24/7 compliance monitoring with documented audit trails
Making the Transition
Switching from Varcode (transit indicators) to ATEK (facility monitoring) is straightforward because they address different monitoring layers:
- Assessment — We identify all temperature-controlled storage facilities requiring continuous monitoring: refrigerators, freezers, pharmaceutical cabinets, cleanrooms, and specialty storage areas
- Deployment — ATEK sensors install in facility storage environments. Many organizations continue using Varcode indicators for shipment verification during deployment and beyond
- Validation — Complete IQ/OQ/PQ documentation demonstrates that ATEK’s continuous monitoring meets or exceeds regulatory requirements for facility environmental controls. No disruption to operations during setup
- Go-live — Transition to 24/7 continuous monitoring with automatic alerts. Your team moves from discovering excursions after inspecting indicators to preventing them through real-time response
When Varcode May Be the Right Fit
Varcode is the appropriate choice for organizations that prioritize shipment-level transit verification with blockchain supply chain tracking and ultra-low cost-per-unit indicators, particularly those shipping across multiple distribution partners or requiring immutable proof of transport conditions. Organizations without FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance requirements or facility-level monitoring needs may find Varcode indicators sufficient for their use case.
When ATEK Is the Better Choice
Choose ATEK when you need:
- Continuous real-time facility monitoring instead of point-in-time transit verification
- Immediate excursion detection and automated alert response to prevent product loss
- FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance for temperature-controlled storage areas and pharmaceutical operations
- 24/7 Canadian support with guaranteed 5-minute response and bilingual (EN/FR) capabilities
- A2LA-accredited in-house calibration without international shipping delays
- PIPEDA-compliant Canadian data hosting for Quebec and Canadian regulated operations
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ATEK and Varcode work together?
Yes. Many organizations use Varcode indicators for shipment transit verification combined with ATEK continuous monitoring for facility storage. Varcode provides blockchain-verified proof that shipments arrived in acceptable temperature ranges; ATEK ensures those products maintain temperature integrity while stored in your facilities. This complementary approach maximizes supply chain visibility from dock to dispensing.
Why does ATEK cost more than Varcode indicators?
Varcode indicators are single-use transit verification tools with ultra-low per-unit cost. ATEK is a complete facility monitoring platform including hardware sensors, continuous real-time monitoring, cloud software, automatic alerts, FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, calibration, validation documentation, and 24/7 support. The cost difference reflects different value propositions: Varcode confirms transit happened safely; ATEK prevents facility excursions from happening at all.
Does ATEK provide FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance like Varcode?
ATEK provides full native FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance including electronic signatures, complete audit trails, ALCOA+ data integrity, and IQ/OQ/PQ validation documentation—all included in the platform. Varcode indicators provide visual proof of temperature during transport but lack the electronic documentation and audit trails required for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 facility monitoring. For pharmaceutical storage operations, ATEK compliance is mandatory; Varcode indicators alone are insufficient.
What happens to Varcode indicators when switching to ATEK?
Continue using Varcode indicators for shipment transit verification—they serve a different purpose than ATEK and complement facility monitoring. ATEK deployment focuses on continuous monitoring of your storage facilities, receiving areas, and controlled environments. Varcode stays on the supply chain layer; ATEK handles the facility layer.
How quickly can ATEK detect temperature problems compared to visual indicators?
ATEK detects excursions within 5 minutes of occurrence and sends immediate alerts (SMS, email, phone). Visual indicators only show temperature history after a shipment arrives and someone visually inspects the color. For facility monitoring, the difference is critical: ATEK enables intervention to prevent product loss; visual indicators only confirm the loss already happened.
Is ATEK suitable for vaccine distribution operations?
Yes. ATEK is specifically designed for vaccination program monitoring with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, real-time excursion detection, and Canadian support. Organizations managing vaccine cold chain from receipt through storage through final administration use ATEK to meet Health Canada and provincial regulatory requirements. Schedule a consultation to discuss your vaccination program requirements.
Ready to move beyond transit indicators to facility monitoring? Request a demo to see how ATEK’s continuous monitoring prevents excursions that color-change indicators can only confirm after the fact.