Access Control Integration Simplifies Staff & Visitor Management for Non-Profit Food Manufacturer
- A Savance EIOBoard Client Case Study
"[As the organization grew], we needed a more robust solution to know who was in the building at any given time."
Brian Dugas, Sr. IT Manager
Background
Edesia is a non-profit organization with a mission to help treat and prevent malnutrition in the world's most vulnerable populations. Each year, the organization's Rhode Island-based factory produces millions of packets of ready-to-use foods, which are delivered to malnourished children all over the world. Edesia is also the manufacturer of the MeWe brand of baby food products, where 100% of profits go to support Edesia's mission.
Challenges
As a small organization of 30 employees working out of a 14,000 sq ft building with only one entry/exit door, Edesia's old magnetic in/out board served the organization well; however, as Edesia grew, this solution was no longer enough. "We were moving to a larger manufacturing facility, approximately 85,000 sq ft, with multiple exit/entry points, and a planned headcount of over 100 staff on three shifts," says Brian Dugas, Sr. IT Manager at Edesia, "We needed a more robust solution to know who was in the building at any given time."
The Search
Brian Dugas used Google to search for a multi-purpose electronic in/out board solution that would solve the organization's challenges and growing pains. He also made note of various in/out solutions used by offices he visited.
"In case of a fire or evacuation event, we needed the ability to perform a roll call to make sure everyone was out."
In addition to requiring a better way to track staff, Edesia needed to know what visitors were in the building. One very important reason for this was to be able to prepare for a potential emergency. "In case of a fire or evacuation event, we needed the ability to perform a roll call to make sure everyone was out," Dugas explains.
The organization had a few specific requirements for the new solution. In addition to more basic criteria, such as ease-of-use and price, Edesia was also looking for a solution that would allow staff to use multiple entry/exit points. Dugas also wanted a solution that could integrate with Edesia's current access control system. "We needed the ability to integrate our prox cards used for building security to swipe in and out using the kiosk," he says.
The latter proved to be the hardest feature to find. "I had two other solutions I was looking at, both of which allowed the capture of staff in and out statuses; " says Dugas; "however, the biggest shortfall was their inability to allow the use of swiping in/out using our prox cards."
Solution & Implementation
When Brian Dugas started talking to Savance, he knew his search was coming to an end. "Savance EIOBoard checked all the boxes," he says. "Ease of use; mobile solution; we could use our prox cards to swipe in and out; the ability to perform a muster in the event of an evacuation, and also allowing multiple points of entry."
The implementation of EIOBoard into Edesia's day-to-day operation was smooth, and the only roadblock was integrating the organization's existing card reader. "Integrating the card reader into the software was the only real challenge," Dugas says; "however, Savance's technical team helped us get it working."
Now, Edesia staff members simply swipe their cards when entering and leaving the building, and the EIOBoard software will update their status automatically. Using Savance Visitor Management, the organization also has a way to track and manage visitors. "We often have tours of our facility," says Brian Dugas, "and the visitor portion of the software makes tracking visitors very easy."
Results & Benefits
Since implementing EIOBoard, Edesia has a much easier time managing the daily comings and goings of people, both staff and visitors. "We have a solution that allows us to know who is in our facility at any time," says Brian Dugas, "and as a food manufacturer, that is critical."
"Savance EIOBoard checked all the boxes: ease of use; mobile solution; we could use our prox cards to swipe in and out; the ability to perform a muster in the event of an evacuation, and also allowing multiple points of entry."
By requiring both staff and visitors to sign in and out as they come and go, Edesia has a complete, up-to-the-minute list of anyone that's in the facility. This is crucial in case of an emergency situation that requires evacuation of the building, and will allow the organization to respond to the emergency in the most efficient way possible.
If asked whether he'd recommend Savance to other organizations, Brian Dugas says he absolutely would. "You guys are easy to work with, have great response time to support calls, and have a great product. [...] I have been in IT for 25 years and worked with many companies, and Savance is in the top 10!"