Many would think that the field of visitor management in manufacturing is a stale, inflexible, and unchanging field, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, visitor management is not insulated from broad technological advancements like some other industries, and for this reason, the field is constantly evolving. Today, let's look at five of the top tips we have for your visitor management practices in the year 2024.
Four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a great emphasis on minimizing physical contact in all aspects of life. Manufacturing facilities, while existing along a very broad spectrum of cleanliness–from steel foundries to semiconductor foundries–are no exception. Manufacturers can bolster the perceived hygiene of their operations by implementing touchless and contactless visitor management systems, such as using QR codes for check-ins or even mobile apps. Transmission’s QR code check-in functionality is a great way to get started, allowing visitors to scan a code and check into your facility straight from their smartphone.
Manufacturing facilities often house extremely valuable assets and intellectual property that need to be protected (this is why, with respect to cybersecurity, so many are entirely air-gapped from the Internet). In addition to standard physical security protocols, such as ID checks and badge issuance, manufacturing facilities can consider incorporating state-of-the-art facial recognition technology, biometric verification, or other advanced security measures to ensure that only authorized personnel gain access. Striking the right balance between security and efficiency can be challenging, but in the modern era, it is a fact of life that there are malicious actors that seek to gain access to your sensitive systems and data.
Manufacturing facilities are often very large, busy, and fast-paced environments, so it is of the utmost importance that visitor check-ins be quick, easy, and efficient for both the visitor and the host. Consider implementing self-service kiosks or online pre-registration systems to minimize wait times and streamline the check-in process. Using a modern visitor management system like Transmission can also play a significant role in giving your visitors a great first impression of your facility, showing them that your company is willing to use the latest and greatest technology to provide an easy, personalized, professional check-in experience.
Accurate tracking of visitors is crucial for safety, security, and compliance reasons. The facility can quickly identify any potential security breaches or safety hazards by tracking visitors' movements and recording their entry and exit times. In addition to this, many manufacturing facilities, unfortunately, fall under extremely strict compliance standards. Using a visitor management system to track visitor check-in and check-out times, who they were there to see, and records of documents they signed is often not even a “nice to have” for these sorts of facilities; it’s a requirement. To improve your visitor tracking practices, consider using RFID tags to monitor visitor movements throughout the facility, or a system like Transmission to maintain comprehensive and compliant visitor logs for all your locations.
Manufacturing facilities–often more than other industries–increasingly leverage data to improve decision-making processes and optimize operations. Visitor management systems can generate valuable data to help manufacturing facilities make informed security, safety, and operational efficiency decisions. By analyzing visitor data, facilities can identify patterns and trends, such as peak visitor times or areas of the facility that see the most traffic, and make adjustments to their operational workflows–e.g., how often staff is conducting visitor orientations, where safety stations are located, how many check-in kiosks to use–accordingly.
In conclusion, visitor management is an essential part of any organization's operational and security strategy, and the requirements of manufacturers, in particular, are often highly unique. It is more important than ever to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies to ensure your facility’s operations are as safe and efficient as possible and also that your company remains at the forefront in a very competitive business environment. With the aforementioned visitor management tips, you can be sure you're going far above and beyond to protect your employees, visitors, intellectual property, and physical on-prem assets.