Touchless Temperature Screening Solution at Crocodile River Mine in South Africa

The local deployment of IXM Titan was handled by South Africa-based integration specialists, Bluewhale Digital. Bluewhale Digital has 35 years experience in the South Africa mining sector, and after assessing a number of products, chose IXM TITAN for its superior specifications, build quality and ability to handle the unique challenges posed at the mine.

Mining operations like Crocodile River Mine require extremely rugged security equipment. Invixium’s 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. 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 TITAN’s 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.

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.

“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.”

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.

“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.