Pandemic prompts diverse solutions development

The outbreak of Covid-19 has prompted identification and traceability solutions company MITAS Corporation, to develop solutions that aid clients during and after the pandemic.

Before the Covid-19 outbreak in South Africa, MITAS Corporation had created solutions for the medical and pharmaceuticals industry such as the marking, identification and traceability of goods, from raw materials and manufacturing to the shelf.

However, with the implementation of Level 4 lockdown regulations in South Africa, MITAS Corporation CEO Kyle Parker says the company has been called upon by some clients to assist with solutions that it would generally not be involved in such as thermal-imaging temperature sensors, manual door opening systems and proximity and distance management systems.

The proximity and distance management systems are devices which are part of the company’s solutions in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) space that can trace employees in the manufacturing industry and beyond.

While the company is an essential services provider, Parker says some projects, such as those in the automotive industry that involve tracing and marking, have dropped off. However, the company’s projects in other industries, such as the medical and pharmaceuticals industries, have greatly increased.

“The traceability of goods continues and has continued throughout the lockdown period. Moreover, product monitoring has increased and there is greater demand in the IIoT space for monitoring the production environment, especially in the pharmaceuticals and the fast-moving consumer goods industries,” Parker notes.

This has allowed MITAS Corporation to play an active role in the monitoring of goods throughout the lockdown, as well as once the lockdown has been completely lifted.

There has been a considerable increase in the need for protective personal equipment in the medical and pharmaceutical industry, and Parker mentions that there is going to be a significant need for new, contactless technologies that will emerge in the near future.

“There will be a significant number of contactless technology solutions that will enable us to engage and interact differently. These solutions will allow for the limiting or elimination of direct contact, and include technology, such as holographic keypads and applications, as well as technologies that will monitor how we interact with one another,” he concludes.