Invixium Provides Contactless Biometric Readers for Mine in South Africa

Eastern Platinum Limited (Eastplats) will be using Invixum’s IXM TITAN readers to secure its Crocodile River Mine in South Africa. The readers will be used to verify the identities of employees, and to make sure that they are complying with COVID-19 safety protocols.

The IXM TITAN offers face-based access control, and is able to recognize individuals who are wearing masks. The mask detection feature is one of several updates that Invixium has released in an effort to improve the utility of its devices during the pandemic, and will be paired with the Invixium Enhancement Kit to provide Eastplats with thermal screening capabilities. Together, the two solutions will bar entry to anyone without a mask, or to anyone running a fever.

Eastplats selected the IXM TITAN for its flexibility and rugged design. The company was able to integrate the readers with its existing access control hardware, and with its existing time and attendance tracking system. Meanwhile, the devices themselves are built with an aluminum body that can withstand harsh environmental conditions, including nearby mine blasts.

Employees will also be asked to fill out a COVID-19 declaration statement before entering the mine. The TITAN will help automate that process and reduce paperwork for administrators.

The actual deployment was carried out by the South Africa integration specialist Bluewhale Digital, which selected the IXM TITAN on behalf of Easplats. The rollout began with a four-TITAN trial, and will soon expand to cover other points of entry at the Crocodile River Mine.

“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 Bluewhale Digital Director Matthew Simpson. “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.”

The contactless TITAN is able to process 12 to 15 employees per minute. Invixum entered the South African market in 2019, and has a local distribution partnership with Pyro-Tech Security Suppliers. The company was recently named as Frost and Sullivan’s 2020 Entrepreneurial Company of the Year based on its strong response to COVID-19.

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February 5, 2021 – by Eric Weiss