The Palmki palm vein reader system.

South African independent cellphone dealer, Cellucity Group, has secured its warehouse with an advanced Palmki palm vein reader system implemented by Tactile Technologies, an expert in touch screen, auto ID, payment, biometrics and robotics.

Tactile Technologies, the South African partner for Belgian biometrics specialist Perfect-ID, recently installed the first Perfect-ID Palmki system at the Cellucity warehouse in Cape Town.

Mauro Mercuri, founder and chairman at Tactile Technologies, says Palmki delivers superior biometrics access control, making it a suitable investment for environments where security is of the utmost importance. “It offers next-level security and privacy,” he says.

Steven Baeyens, Director of Product and Projects at Tactile Technologies, explains that other biometrics technologies such as facial or voice recognition, fingerprint scanning or iris scanning come with certain disadvantages. “Some are intrusive and not user-friendly, and some don’t offer the necessary levels of security. Palmki is faster than standard fingerprint readings and is highly efficient and reliable. It takes multiple data points and encrypts them in a hash-code, which can’t be re-engineered. It requires a live hand, adding to the security it offers. In addition, it is less intrusive and more user-friendly than technologies like iris recognition,” he says.

Palmki is a contactless technology with a high level of acceptance by consumers.

It offers exceptionally low false acceptable and false rejection rates, and extremely fast authentication. Baeyens adds that the Palmki system can also be programmed to raise an alarm on the backend if the wrong procedure is used to enter or exit using the system.

Christopher Henschel, Cellucity Group director, says: “Having worked closely with Tactile Technologies in deploying an integrated POS system in our national network of retail stores, they were a natural choice when we started exploring biometrics and access control systems.

With a wide range of products and fantastic expertise in their field, they recommended a Palmki solution for us. We have deployed the solution at our warehouse where security is of tantamount importance, and it has certainly delivered.”

Jason Milne, Cellucity warehouse manager, says the Palmki system has addressed any security concerns, as well as giving the company unexpected additional benefits such as time-saving and improved human resource management.

He explains: “I had always had concerns about security. We previously depended on locked doors and security gates, which staff inside the warehouse had to unlock each time one of our drivers or a courier came to pick up a consignment. This was time-consuming and we felt the process increased risk. With Palmki, warehouse staff and drivers are enrolled in the system and simply hold a hand up to the device to unlock the doors. We no longer have to worry about who is coming and going, and we save up to an hour a day now that staff don’t have to stop what they are doing to unlock doors for drivers.

“I can track when drivers have been to the warehouse and we use it as a form of timekeeping as well. The backend is easy to use, and adding or removing staff is simple. The drivers find Palmki improves their efficiency too – they simply enter, collect their consignments, sign for them and off they go. With this system, I sleep better at night and even work better during the day,” he says.

Henschel says: “We are now looking at integrating the Palmki solution into our retail store environment, from an access control perspective for staff and potentially for customer-facing biometrics validation in future."

For more information on Palmki, contact Steven Baeyens at steven@tactiletechnologies.com.