Time tracking and access control for 1,000s of employees, each with different shifts and access authorization, is a daunting task. IOCL previously used a system that relied on paper timesheets and physical cards, both of which pose a great risk of being lost or forgotten while offering no way to verify that the person gaining access is who they say they are or that the timesheets are 100% accurate. Seeing these limitations, management at this oil refinery sought to improve accuracy and security with a modern, automated system. Quickly, biometrics took center stage as a solution to tighten security, enhance accuracy, and even speed up shift changes.

Biometrics Create a Dynamic Security Ecosystem

IOCL’s system integrator, Yokogawa, introduced the company to two Invixium biometric solutions: IXM TITAN for face recognition and IXM TOUCH 2 for fingerprint. Each biometric reader serves a specific purpose for IOCL. IXM TOUCH 2 is installed at entrance turnstiles for fingerprint-based time tracking, which ensures that shift changes are as smooth as possible thanks to the device’s high-end Lumidigm sensor built for high-volume, rugged environments. IXM TITAN is used to secure critical areas of the plant with face recognition, a highly accurate biometric technology that is both spoof-proof and functional while a person wears PPE such as face coverings to enhance security and user-friendliness. Both IXM TITAN and IXM TOUCH 2 offer multi-factor authentication to improve security, which IOCL takes advantage of to aid in their transition from cards to biometrics. Invixium’s workforce management software, IXM Time, completes the system with attendance reports, shift management features, and automated payroll calculation.

The benefits of using touchless access control and workforce management solutions include:

• Increased Security: Biometrics are highly secure because they, by nature, cannot be lost, shared, stolen, or copied. Using biometrics greatly enhances security compared to cards because management is assured that those gaining access or tracking time are who they say they are.
• Improved Efficiency: Time tracking using Invixium biometrics and IXM Time is beautifully simple thanks to automation. When a person clocks in or out, their timestamp is immediately communicated to IXM Time, where management can view an audit trail, attendance reports, and more.
• Robust Solutions: Invixium biometric solutions are built with rugged environments in mind. IXM TITAN sports an all-aluminum body, a Corning® Gorilla® glass LCD, and IP67 and IK10 certifications. IXM TOUCH 2 offers an optional Lumidigm fingerprint sensor designed for use in wet, dusty, or otherwise challenging environments, or by people whose fingerprints are difficult to read.

“IOCL’s worksite poses a challenge for most security solutions, but they still cannot compromise on accuracy when it comes to payroll calculation and physical access for their large workforce. We knew that Invixium solutions were a match for IOCL once we learned that IXM TITAN and IXM TOUCH 2 do not compromise on speed and accuracy in favor of durability. Now, IOCL’s shift changes are fast and their security is tighter than ever”, said G. Dinesh Reddy, Deputy Manager at Yokogawa.

“Invixium solutions are made for installations like IOCL”, said Shiraz Kapadia, CEO & President at Invixium. “This project emphasizes how important the ideal blend of ruggedness, speed, and accuracy is by showing that even challenging environments can enjoy the security benefits of biometrics. We are very proud that a system using IXM TITAN and IXM TOUCH 2 has improved so many aspects of IOCL’s business.”

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COVID-19 forced Mara Technologies to re-evaluate every process, including time tracking, to support the need to keep employees healthy at work. As a trusted provider of manufacturing services, Mara’s focus is providing quality products on-time as a trusted partner for their customers. This focus means that unplanned shutdowns or shift quarantines were unacceptable. This re-evaluation created an opportunity to improve time tracking speed and accuracy along with safeguarding employee health, so Mara sought a new system that offers touchless clockins, health screening, and digital record-keeping.

Touchless Biometrics and Health Screening Improve Time Tracking Workflows

IXM TITAN with Enhancement Kit is Invixium’s premier solution for employee and visitor health screening. A thermal infrared camera combines with IXM TITAN’s on-board 21 MP face recognition camera to simultaneously screen a person’s temperature while they complete face recognition for workforce management or access control. Mara Technologies installed two devices at their worksite for time tracking because of the unmatched speed, accuracy, and convenience this solution provides. Combined with IXM WEB, Invixium’s enterprise-grade software for device management, and IXM Time, the addition to IXM WEB specifically designed for workforce management, Mara enjoys simple, accurate time tracking and health screening with a digital audit trail.

The benefits of automating temperature screening and time tracking with IXM TITAN with Enhancement Kit include:

• Unmatched Speed from Automation: Automated biometric time tracking and temperature screening speed up the process of clocking in and screening employee temperatures, so people can get to work faster.
• Touchless Biometrics Limit the Spread of Illness: Touchless biometrics limit the number of surfaces touched to track time, which reduces the potential spread of illness at work.
• Digitized Audit Trail: The time tracking data tracked and analyzed by IXM Time helps management make smarter decisions about employees, shifts, and more while improving the ease of payroll calculation.

“Partnering with Invixium helps streamline entrance screening for employees and visitors. Improvements we experienced after installing TITAN include faster shift changes, more effective payroll management, and a happier, more productive staff,” said Peter Schmied, President and COO at Mara Technologies. “As the future continues to change, we know that an easier time tracking process can help us adapt when our customers demand it. Getting to work easily is critical to staying productive as deadlines shift and supply chains tighten. We’re pleased that our Invixium workforce management system supports our long-term vision.”

For more information, visit:
www.invixium.com
www.invotekgroup.com

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Mining operations like Crocodile River Mine require extremely rugged security equipment. With an existing HRMS installed, Eastplats requires full feature integration with their time and attendance access control hardware. Shift schedules and breathalyzer results need to be checked to enter the mine and time tracking data would be used to calculate payroll. Further, Eastplats’s COVID-19 response demands that temperature screening and mask detection be added to its access control protocol for thousands of employees and visitors at every shift, adding complexity to an already-intricate integration.

Rugged Temperature Screening Protects Mine Staff Health

IXM TITAN with Enhancement Kit was selected not only for its ruggedness and integration capabilities, but also for its high throughput. With the Enhancement Kit installed, the complete solution can touchlessly authenticate and temperature-screen 12 to 15 users per minute. Thousands of employees and the overall business risk monumental financial losses from delays in entry; thus, speed is a top factor in biometric hardware selection. IXM TITAN is crafted with an all-aluminum body and a Corning® Gorilla® Glass LCD screen to withstand the harshest environmental conditions, from exposure to dust and sand to high impacts caused by nearby mine blasts.

Using IXM TITAN, Bluewhale Digital was able to integrate employee identification and touchless core body temperature scanning, with Eastplats’ existing time and attendance system and their multilayered security infrastructure. This, along with an automated system for restricting access until a COVID-19 declaration statement was signed by all those entering the mine ensured Eastplats received a fully integrated solution that reduced paperwork and reporting time, and prioritized the health and safety of all mine employees. Following a successful proof of concept trial with four IXM TITAN with Enhancement Kit units, Eastplats plans to add additional Invixium solutions at more entry points to Crocodile River Mine. Due to the ease of installation and integration with their existing system, Eastplats is highly satisfied with the increase in productivity and peace of mind provided by the Invixium solution.

“Our concern was for the safety and wellbeing of the Eastplats employees as well as addressing the large amount of time spent on collation and reporting for regulatory requirements,” said Matthew Simpson, Director at Bluewhale Digital. “In the midst of a global pandemic, we needed a way to safely and reliably move 500 people through turnstiles during shift change. We needed to do it with no physical contact, and in line with South Africa’s lockdown regulations.”

“There has been a revolution when it comes to face recognition in the rugged industry of mining, as fingerprints have obvious issues with the time it takes to wash hands before touching a delicate sensor. Add that to the risk of COVID-19 lingering on surfaces, and face recognition becomes the obvious answer for access control,” said Hannelie Hanson, General Manager at Eastplats. “Invixium’s products are quick and accurate, even in our mine, and the Enhancement Kit’s temperature screening reduces the number of steps it takes for a person to get to work safely and with ease. IXM TITAN’s integration with Crocodile River Mine’s current human resource management system and security software ensures managers have all the necessary documents and reports to manage staff and visitors in one location.”

“Deploying biometric technology in the mining sector is extremely challenging,” said Shiraz Kapadia, CEO & President at Invixium. “We’re proud to have engineered IXM TITAN to be well suited for extremely harsh environments, like mines, and we are pleased to be the premiere biometric provider to mining operations worldwide, like Eastplats in Africa. IXM TITAN was selected for its ruggedness and speed in face recognition and temperature screening in various lighting conditions. The result is very positive: TITAN ensures a simple and comprehensive solution for employees and managers to allow them to return to work in a healthy, safe, and productive environment.”

Invixium is represented by its authorized distributor Pyro-Tech Security Suppliers, located in Johannesburg. Invixium’s presence in South Africa has grown significantly since its regional launch in 2019.

For more information, visit:
www.invixium.com
www.pyro-tech.co.za

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Businesses like FHH that have many operating locations require a workforce management solution where data from all facilities is readily available. Invixium’s IXM WEB is a web-based, cloud-ready biometric access control and workforce management software that the TITAN devices installed at FHH’s sites in Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt constantly share data with. This data, including time tracking, is visualized in IXM WEB’s playful interface through interactive dashboards and intuitive reports showing employee data and the overall health of the biometric system.

Automated Biometrics And Software Integration Further Digital Transformation

FHH’s existing ORACLE Fusion time management system created a unique challenge for all stakeholders including Invixium and their partner ElectroSec from an implementation and support perspective to cover all FHH’s operations across the MENA region. For the TITAN installation to be effective, employee clock-ins (i.e. punches) needed to be immediately exported to ORACLE Fusion, where FHH’s Human Resources could manage payroll and employee time. Invixium’s team of experts worked with FHH and ORACLE to bridge IXM WEB with Fusion, allowing TITAN to seamlessly share data with FHH’s existing human capital cloud. After three consecutive pay periods with 100% time accuracy, Invixium and FHH are proud to share that this custom digital transformation implementation was a complete success.

“We had very tight timelines in 2019 to ensure we go live in 2020 for all our Phase 1 Cloud transformation programmes, where the core focus was on Human Resource processes, technology and improvements. Working with Invixium, Oracle, FHH’s technical team, supported by the HR team, we were able to implement a system that is 100% accurate on employee records for Time and Attendance and then integrated it into the Oracle platform. This leaves very little room for fraud and zero human intervention and provides FHH with a foundation for the future for all HR related systems and processes,“ said FHH’s CIO Yahyah Pandor.

“Invixium is very proud of what we accomplished with Fine Hygienic Holding,” says Shiraz Kapadia, President & CEO of Invixium. “Our products are made to be highly customizable, so we accepted this challenge knowing that TITAN and IXM WEB were the right fit for FHH’s unique needs. IXM WEB especially is designed with the end-user in mind; we want our customers to have the freedom to build their system around their business needs. Our engineers worked tirelessly with FHH and ORACLE to make this digital transformation happen, and the results have been incredibly positive.”

For more information, visit:
www.invixium.com
www.electrosec.net

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The Middle East, including Jordan, is notorious for extreme desert conditions, which includes hot temperatures that reach 40 degrees Celsius or higher along with spontaneous dust storms. All of these present tremendous challenges for Industrial companies looking to modernize their facilities and infrastructure with biometric access control and/or time and attendance.

The Most Rugged Biometric Access Control Product Ever Engineered

ElectroSec’s first order for IXM TITAN came from the Jordanian Uranium Mining Company (JUMCO) for their new plant 100 kilometers outside of the capital, Amman. JUMCO wanted a rugged biometric solution for access control that would be deployed outdoors with both facial and fingerprint recognition. After a successful POC where the TITAN was installed outdoors, the heads at JUMCO were convinced to go ahead with the Invixium solution for the pilot project. The TITAN FPU1 was deployed at exterior locations for facial and fingerprint biometric access control utilizing the inbuilt relay from the TITAN to drive the electric strike, which all 35 employees at the mining plant use daily. For an entrance that is less frequently used, the TOUCH 2 device was installed for fingerprint biometric access only.

“After showing the TITAN at JIMEX, there was tremendous interest from our visitors in this multi-biometric product from a Canadian manufacturer. From the show, we quickly got our first order and completed the installation of Invixium’s TITAN and TOUCH 2 products within a few months. The end user is very satisfied with the performance of the Invixium products, specifically authentication speed and low rejection rate, which is close to zero. The team at Invixium was very supportive throughout this project, starting from the specification phase, the PoC and for the final installation. This was crucial and important as it was our first installation for TITAN in Jordan,” said Ibrahim Sawalha, Managing Partner at ElectroSec.

For more information, visit:
invixium.com
electrosec.net

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As Mindful Snacks grew, their biometric time tracking system became sluggish and glitchy with the increasing number of users enrolled on the device. Employees were required to use the device for clocking in and out daily, yet the process of doing so was a nuisance due to the number of problems users experienced. When it came to payroll calculation, management would have to physically go to the device and download the data onto a USB flash drive to transfer the information onto their computers and generate reports. Since paydays cannot be moved, someone had to go on-site to retrieve the data from the device no matter what day of the week it was.

Finding the Right Biometric Time Tracking Solution

IXM TOUCH was installed inside the Mindful Snacks office, James immediately saw the benefits of moving to a more efficient, reliable system. The install was simple and painless thanks to PoE reducing the amount of cables required and the device is now mounted at the front door where employees clock in or out when they enter and exit the building. The device serves as quite the attention-grabber for visitors and also offers all of the functionality Mindful Snacks management was looking for in an automated biometric time tracking system: report generation at set intervals, ample storage to add future employees and scalability to be used as a broader solution with human resources management or even access control.

“We get a lot of comments on the device from clients visiting the office. They’re very curious to find out what it’s for and when we explain that it’s used for time & attendance tracking they’re usually shocked since they’ve never seen such a well-designed unit that looked like this before! While we were searching for a more sophisticated punch clock system, finding one that offered reports became a top priority for us. That way the system can automatically generate reports and send them to myself or whoever requires access to them,” said James Tjan, Founder & CEO at Mindful Snacks. “The compatibility of all the Invixium devices was important to us since we plan to invest in multiple Invixium units in our next office, that way we can secure sensitive rooms and eliminate the traditional key.”

For more information, visit:
invixium.com

The post Staying Mindful of Employee Time Tracking Via Biometric Solutions appeared first on Invixium.

As the case for any live deployment of Biometric Access Control System, there were challenges faced at the onset of determining the best biometric product for the oil refinery at Shell Nigeria due to challenges such as harsh environmental conditions, duplicate biometric record validation and a complex integration with their access control panel (ACP), legacy database and a mobile handheld system utilized at access points. Given the three main challenges, it was identified that the project would require extensive customization, so a highly responsive manufacturer support team was needed.

The Best Biometric Access Control System Built for Your Harshest Environments

Shell Oil selected IXM SENSE with the optional Lumidigm multispectral fingerprint sensor to meet their rugged application’s needs. The IXM SENSE devices are used for dual factor authentication of fingerprint plus HID Prox cards configured with Corporate 1000 Wiegand format. In addition to a customized version of firmware and IXM WEB, the deployment required integration with the existing Tyco C-CURE control panel via the Wiegand output lines. During the authentication process, specifically for the event of “User Not Found”, the Wiegand output from the IXM SENSE provides the access card data in “Pass through” mode to the Tyco panel without further validation. The panel executes the final decision to open the door for card users that are outside of the local database.

For the enrollment process, a “duplicate checking” feature was added whereby a search is performed on a live fingerprint presented to the IXM SENSE against the master server database to determine if the biometric credential is unique or not. In the case of a “duplicate” match, IXM WEB provides a report with a list of the most relevant matching fingerprints. The site administrator performing the enrollment may select various options when presented with a “duplicate” match alert including (a) Stop enrollment, (b) Re-enroll or (c) Ignore and Save enrollment to database.

“We found that Invixium was the most flexible with regards to design and flexibility to allow customizations. The best part about the IXM SENSE was the cost and playful design which was great in comparison to fingerprint readers in its class. My client was visibly excited by the attention paid to aesthetics,” said Iwuchukwu Clement C, Head of Business Solutions (R&D) Unit at iTECO.

“The traditional approach to one-size-fits-all is going obsolete. We take pride in being able to customize our products; an added value that Invixium brings to partners and customers like iTECO and Shell. We are the only biometric manufacturer with an R&D infrastructure designed to engineer solutions to meet the specific needs of any project,” said Shiraz Kapadia, CEO & President at Invixium.

For more information, visit:
invixium.com

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