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Formed in 2017, Danone North America is the result of WhiteWave Foods of Broomfield, CO being acquired by Paris-based Danone; a premier multi-national food products corporation.

Together, they are the company behind familiar, consumer-favorite brands throughout the natural food and beverage industry; including Activia, Horizon Organic, Silk, Evian, Dannon, Oikos, So Delicious, International Delight, Stok, Vega, Good Plants, and many more. 

For Danone North America employees, there’s a sense of purpose behind everything they do.

Above all, is their commitment to “positively changing the world—one better food choice at a time.” For Danone N.A., this means using certified sustainable ingredients, helping prevent the practice of child labor, and adhering to responsible, environmentally friendly farming practices.

In turn, the ability for Danone N.A. to live up to its lofty principles is contingent on maintaining safety, efficiency, and productivity throughout its 67,000 square foot facility in Louisville, CO. An integral part of keeping Danone N.A. running smoothly is ready access to reliable cell signal.

They would reach out to one of WilsonPro’s premier certified installers, Illuminati Labs, who would recommend a WilsonPro Repeater System.

The Challenge

The facility used by Danone N.A. was filled with refrigerators, along with a series of clean rooms and labs with walls made of specially constructed materials that happen to block cell signal. This wasn’t a new problem. In the past, the Louisville facility did have its own cell signal amplification system.

Unfortunately, this system was no longer effective. Even worse, it was outdated and restricted under current municipal rules. Without a repeater system, dead zones dominated the building’s interior.

In fact, the degree of signal suppression created by Danone N.A.’s facility was extraordinary. In most site surveys conducted, it’s normal to see very weak signal throughout a building and then a few pockets with absolutely no signal. In the case of Danone, there was no signal at all.

An additional challenge for the WilsonPro Illuminati Labs team would be the need for an extremely clean work environment. The food preparation, research, and testing labs housed growing cultures that could not be exposed to outside contaminants. (See picture of Illuminati Labs install at Danone)

This would mean that every installer had to be decked out in full clean-room attire; even beyond what’s found in a hospital environment. Before entering a room, installers would have to stand in trays of sanitizer just as a precaution.

The Solution

Based on the site survey, Illuminati Labs determined the 67,000 square foot facility would need a WilsonPro Enterprise 4300 in-building cell signal amplifier, 16 dome antennas, and an outside directional antenna to provide superior coverage to all the labs, clean rooms, and office areas.

The installation would require five installers working over a two-day period. The team would adhere to the clean-room attire protocol to protect the health of Danone’s growing cultures.

The Results

After installation, cell signal dramatically improved. By using WilsonPro’s cloud-monitoring, continual adjustments can always be made in response to the outside cell signal’s strength.

Since almost every Danone employee relies on their cell phones and cellular devices to stay connected, the difference was noticed immediately. The sales staff in particular would often have to move from office to conference room to job site; always in search of good cell signal.

With their WilsonPro Repeater System in place, people began using the enhanced cellular connectivity to its fullest. Some were streaming HD presentation videos from their cell devices directly to the company’s A/V setup for clients. Others remarked about the crystal-clear reception on calls.

For Danone N.A., the goals of safety, efficiency, and productivity were achieved within days by trusting in a WilsonPro Repeater solution, the benefits of which will last for years to come.