Deploying Contact Tracing Technology - A Case Study With Nice|HySecurity
With Contact Tracing Technology being so new to the market, we spend a lot of time talking about how things could be used, with few examples of how the technology has practically impacted organizations. Earlier this month, Proxxi’s Partner Manager Tom Newton spoke with Brandon Mambelli of Nice | HySecurity, an early customer of ours. In this discussion, Brandon was able to explain how using Proxxi Contact has impacted his organization, and why Nice | HySecurity chose to implement an automated solution.
Who is Nice | HySecurity?
Nice | HySecurity is a Seattle area company that builds gate operators and accessories, as well as anti-terrorist perimeter security barriers. The company is the Gate & Barrier Division of Nice North America, a regional subsidiary of Nice group, an Italian multinational smart home and building automation company headquartered in Oderzo, Italy, with operations in 24 countries. Their #1 mandate and overriding culture is around safety. Starting in a garage, and now as an important part of a multinational conglomerate, customer safety and worker safety is always top of mind for Nice | HySecurity and their Vice President of Operations, Brandon Mambelli.
Read more on the Nice | HySecurity website
Impact of Being Shut Down
In April of this year, Nice | HySecurity was well aware of the impact the virus was having in Asia, and were already starting to take precautions. Nonetheless, when Brandon had a worker test positive in the Seattle plant, a corporate decision was made to shut down operations for two weeks. The result of this short suspension in production created a costly ripple effect of disruptions in perimeter security projects globally.
Task Force Rolled into Action
Following the plant shutdown, Brandon and the Senior Management Team immediately created an internal task force to develop a plan that would protect their workers and the company. The result was a corporate handbook, social distancing measures, and log sheets for contact tracing - all to limit potential exposure of the virus. They investigated outsourced, manual contact tracing services, but did not feel that this route matched their values as a technology company that focuses on automation and innovation.
Brandon remembers the event well. “Even though only one worker test positive, there was a decision to shut the facility down. Moving forward, we knew we needed to deploy Contact Tracing to ensure business continuity in the event of another positive test by being able to isolate only those who were in close contact.”
Nice | HySecurity felt they needed an automated solution for Social Distancing and Contact Tracing to match their corporate values.
The Resulting Solution
After eliminating manual logout sheets and cameras as possible solutions, a Nice | HySecurity team member found Proxxi Technology Corporation, a Vancouver BC based company that had been in business for 5 years offering wearable workplace safety solutions.
Prior to the pandemic, Proxxi had a single product called “Voltage”: An Electrical Safety Solution that radically reduces electrical injuries for workers.
Proxxi’s decision to pivot their business into a Covid-19 worker safety solution was natural, and the automated aspects offered by Proxxi “Contact” for Social Distancing and Contact Tracing matched the values practiced by Nice | HySecurity.
After a few short calls to Proxxi, Brandon and his team purchased the elegant looking Proxxi Contact Wristbands for all 100 of their workers.
The Path Forward
Part of the impetus for a contact tracing solution was the realization that they cannot control what workers do in their off hours. His challenge instead is to make workers feel as safe as possible when they come together at work. Brandon and the team at Nice | HySecurity wanted to gain the maximum impact from their investment in this new worker safety solution. During one of their regular Town Hall meetings, they explained the solutions to their workers. They explained that instead of it taking 3 days to perform Contact Tracing, now team members can be informed almost immediately who came in contact, how often and for how long with an infected co-worker.
By using Proxxi Contact, as well as facial recognition systems that measure body temperature, workers at Nice | HySecurity feel safe and management is protected.