Advanta + Verifyii

Manning industry manufacturing kiosks to combat COVID spread

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While the 2019 Novel Coronavirus has been wreaking havoc across the nation, companies have adjusted and reformatted to combat the pandemic. Some companies simply instated new social distancing and face mask policies, Advanta Southeast in Manning took the fight to them. 

Teaming up with Verifyii, a software company in Greenville, Advanta Southeast has begun to manufacture kiosks that read a persons temperature. These kiosks, which they are selling in bundles to companies across the nation, are a quick and effective way to read someones temperature, and deem them fit, or unfit, to work. 

The goal at Verifyii is to help with the labor costs of manual screening and data entry, as well as a way to increase the practice of social distancing. 

The machine is simple to use. The user stands at the end of the kiosk, about five feet away from the camera, and waits. The machine, using a temperature-scanning camera, measures the users temperature and gives them a pass/fail message. The entire process takes about fifteen to thirty seconds. 

This will allow companies to cut on costs of having some work at the door. 

Advanta is usually known for manufacturing shipping containers for car brands such as Mercedes, however, this will be entirely new terrain for them. While you could call the shipping containers crude and basic, Verifyii machines are a little more delicate. A major challenge has been the technological aspect. Initially, the metal casings were the only things being manufactured in the Advanta factory. At that time, they were being built and shipped to Greenville, where Verifyii would finish the installation and technological integration. As of last week, Advanta has began this integration theirselves. 

On top of the technological features, Verifyii co-founders also had to figure out a subscription service. All of the devices are pre-wired to include a cellular connection. This allows companies to streamline the clock-in process of their workers, all while remaining safe. 

Verifyii co-founders, Ben O’Hanlan and Brett Kraeling were the initial designers of the product, and were down in Manning last week to teach Advanta workers how to install the software. It wasn’t until Advanta Southeast President Merle Grams came into the picture, however, that they started producing kiosks on a grand scale. 

Grams initially became involved in the kiosk business through his longtime working relationship with Kraeling. Recently, shipping container production has slowed due to COVID, and the need for temperature monitoring has risen drastically. Kraeling needed someone to manufacture his kiosks, and Grams needed something new to manufacture. 

In the end, Advanta and Verifyii hope that this is something that will integrate itself into everyday life. Even when and if the coronavirus pandemic begins to decline, they hope these machines will have made themselves a staple in every business environment. 

The base price of the platform sits at around $12,000, with an additional $99-per-month subscription fee.