Owens corning
Owens Corning Makes the Bold Move Toward Biometrics
All it takes is the touch of a hand to gain access to the main building on Owens Corning's manufacturing site in Newark, OH — and the 250-acre campus is more secure than ever.
With the installation of hand geometry scanners and IDenticard's IDentiPASS access security system, Owens Corning has joined the fast-growing number of companies worldwide relying on biometrics as a cost-effective, reliable and highly accurate identification method.
"In addition to its proven performance and reliability, one of the most attractive features of biometric identification is its efficiency," said Rodger Orr, IS professional, Owens Corning. "Let's face it, your hand cannot be lost, forgotten or stolen like a password or ID card." Orr stressed that as a non-transferable means of identification, hand geometry verifies that you are physically the person you claim to be. With hand geometry, you provide access to a person, not a card.
Hand geometry is among the leading forms of biometric identification in the United States. In addition to being used at 90 percent of the nation’s nuclear power stations, hand geometry is used at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, which boasts the world’s strictest security requirements. The biometric hand readers now in use at Owens Corning compare more than 31,000 points in less than one second to record more than 90 separate measurements — including length, width, thickness and surface area — with a previously stored template of the user’s hand.
A world leader in advanced glass and building materials systems, Owens Corning has relied on IDenticard for more than 20 years to help provide security solutions. Recently, the company evaluated and updated access control at its Newark manufacturing site, where 1,500 people work. They implemented biometric identification to help secure the main campus building -- Building 39 -- which houses the site’s computer systems, main offices and employee services.
Owens Corning was able to customize its access control system to meet their specific needs and requirements by working closely with IDenticard partner American, Inc., in Northfield, OH. Factory-trained on IDenticard’s systems, American installed the system and its software and trained Owens Corning in its use. “Our goal was to ensure that IDentiPASS does everything Owens Corning needs it to do,” said Larry T. Parker, commercial sales, American.
"American did a great job with the installation and completed it on time," said Orr. "The system is easy to use and its reporting capabilities are outstanding."
Orr said one of the reasons they chose IDentiPASS is its flexibility in meeting their campus-wide security needs, which also involve the use of identification badges. IDentiPASS interfaces with the main building’s six hand geometry scanners, used for all salaried employees, those who provide technical services, vendors, and contractors who need access. Elsewhere on campus, Owens Corning uses barcode badges to track time and attendance for hourly employees. They decided it would be best for those employees to use those same badges for access to Building 39 as well. Therefore, IDentiPASS also interfaces with the building’s card scanner so all authorized personnel can gain appropriate access to the building.
"We find IDentiPASS especially efficient because multiple users with authorization can access the panel from PCs over the computer network," said Orr. For example, Orr was approached in the hallway recently by a vendor requesting hand geometry access to the building. Orr downloaded the software from the PC in his office, scanned the vendor’s hand at the master scanner outside his office door, keyed in the vendor’s name and assigned an ID number on the spot. “We took care of it then and there,” said Orr, "and the entire process took only minutes."
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