Manufacturing

The Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company’s first experience with biometrics was not an ideal one. They had purchased a system in order to control employee access to their manufacturing plant in Chicago, IL. However, they quickly realized that the silicon-based fingerprint system that had been installed was not able to hold up to the conditions of the plant – from general wear and tear to oil on users’ fingers. A more dependable and cost-effective solution was needed quickly to maintain building security.

After learning of Integrated Biometrics and its revolutionary Light Emitting Sensor (LES) technology, the executives at Hu-Friedy decided to give biometrics another shot. The company selected the TRU650 for Physical Access Control to install in multiple locations at their manufacturing plant; setup was complete in just a few hours with the system running at full capacity. According to Don Volpert, Facilities Tech Lead at Hu-Friedy, “The solution is straightforward and performing great…Integrated Biometrics has the best and most knowledgeable customer service by far.”

The units are now affixed to turnstiles to protect entry to the plant – only allowing registered employees access at designated times. Hu-Friedy opted to take advantage of the TRU650’s integrated card reader functionality as well, allowing some users to authenticate with either their fingerprint or a proxy card.

The system now is also used to enhance employee safety based on the solution’s real-time reporting capability. In the case of a fire or major accident, administrators will be able to tell what employees are still in the building.

To date, 250 employees are registered as users within the system. Based on the solution’s performance, Hu-Friedy is already considering putting the system on a virtual server to expand to their other locations.