Northgate Supermarket Chain Deploys Biometric, Temperature-Scanning Time Clocks

California supermarket chain Northgate Market has announced the completion of its rollout of temperature detection-capable time clocks across all of its 41 locations throughout Southern California, as well as its distribution center in Anaheim.

The new devices come as a result of a long-standing partnership with Logile, Inc., which provided Northgate with its Health & Temperature (HT) Scanner time clocks. The time clocks allow for touchless thermal temperature detection that boasts a 99.7 percent accuracy rate, as well as multiple identification options and health and risk survey capabilities, among other features.

“We have been using Logile’s workforce management suite for several years,” said Tom Herman, chief strategy officer at Northgate. “When we approached Logile’s leaders asking if they could assist us to reduce health and safety compliance costs related to COVID screening protocols, they jumped into action and partnered with their time clock manufacturer to integrate a thermal temperature reader and facial recognition with their clock software. They turned around a solution very quickly, and both managers and associates have been very pleased with the results.”

The HT devices — which are fully integrated with the existing Logile time and attendance solution already in use by Northgate — will be used by Northgate to screen both employees and vendors entering their premises in order to help ensure individuals with elevated temperatures cannot gain access to any facilities, and to enforce its COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

“Prior to utilizing Logile’s HT scanning time clocks, we were spending labor hours to manually screen our associates,” said Larry Keehne, director of support services at Northgate. “The integrated HT scanning time clock solution has eliminated the manual screening cost and has been widely praised by our associates for its privacy and simplicity. Post pandemic, we believe the solution will continue to play a role in implementing our health and safety protocols for employees during flu season as well as throughout the year.”

Access control systems that are capable of screening individuals with an elevated temperature have been growing in popularity at a dramatic rate over the past year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges that both private and public institutions face as the world looks to adjust to a ‘new normal’ following months of lockdowns.

“As a total store solution provider, Logile was excited to partner with Northgate on this unique and much needed solution,” said Purna Mishra, Logile’s president and CEO. “This collaboration produced a sustainable solution that addressed a challenge not only for Northgate, but for many of our other customers who face the same challenge.”

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March 30, 2021 – by Tony Bitzionis