When establishing Jansz Pontos Hills Winery, a sparkling wine facility for Jansz Tasmania in the Coal River Valley, Hill-Smith Family Estates looked for a temperature monitoring solution that was simple, reliable and future-ready, without needing specialist engineering or maintenance expertise.
ifm efector, a provider of specialist monitoring solutions including sensors, controllers, software and other digital tools, supplied IO-Link enabled temperature monitoring devices designed for ease of use.
According to Luke Wilson, manager – engineering, services and cellar operations at Hill-Smith Family Estates, this approach has since been adopted as the new instrumentation standard across the group. “We selected the ifm IO Link solution for our temperature control management system because of its ease of installation,” he says.
Building the system on the IO-Link network has allowed the winery team to replace faulted probes, valves and hardware quickly and cost-effectively, requiring only minimal electrical knowledge. This aligned with the winery’s need for remote support, as no technical or engineering expertise was available on-site at Pontos Hills.
The real transformation came with remote diagnostics and smart functionality. Instead of relying on time-consuming manual checks, the Jansz Tasmania team and engineering specialists at other locations – could access the system remotely, receiving real-time data and early alarms that enabled immediate adjustments.
This proactive approach gave the team greater confidence during vintage season, enabling faster, more precise winemaking with less downtime. “A lot of wineries have temperature control in the form of a probe and a valve on a tank,” says Wilson. “But what inevitably happens is that the valve will fail or something happens so that the tank is no longer under control, but the winemaker’s not aware of it. The ifm solution comprises smart sensors that have given us the ability to react before there’s any impact on the quality of the product.”
Delivering precision control, sustainability gains and a scalable solution
Jansz Tasmania’s ‘close to the source’ winemaking approach has allowed it to improve wine quality while also supporting sustainability. Grapes are processed immediately after harvest, preserving fresh aromas while avoiding transport impacts or premature fermentation.
This local fermentation removes waste products earlier, reducing the mass transported between production stages and lowering energy use and emissions. “In addition, we are delivering on sustainability, as all of the treated wastewater from the winery is recycled onto the vineyards,” says Wilson.
Continuous monitoring also ensures precise temperature control, cutting wastage. Importantly, the system allows winemakers to optimise operations by powering down equipment during peak energy demand periods, easing pressure on the grid and reducing costs. This improves resource efficiency, lowers energy consumption and clearly reduces the winery’s carbon footprint.
For a new site without a dedicated engineering team, the benefits of ifm’s solution were immediate. Its ease of installation and use minimised the need for specialised labour. “Empowered with the system’s smart, proactive monitoring and maintenance functions, the facility reduced the risk of downtime and costly faults,” says Darryl Blackeby, regional sales manager (SA/WA) at ifm efector.
“This installation showcases how ifm adapts its advanced technologies to new contexts, extending beyond traditional automation into the specialised world of winemaking,” says Blackeby. “Our solution is simple, affordable, non-invasive and easy to adopt, enabling producers to introduce digital monitoring without disrupting their craft. It delivers measurable performance gains and environmental benefits, empowering industries to innovate with confidence.”
