Improve Plant Productivity Through Time and Attendance Software

by

Daniel Marcus MansonManufacturers face unique challenges when it comes to managing their workforce. Unlike some other sectors, positions can require intensive training, making ramping up the workforce to meet increased order volume both time-consuming and expensive. Then there is the problem of what to do with the additional manpower should orders fall off again; thus the frequency of overtime in the sector. It’s expensive and it can burn out workers if used too much. When companies are in the business of manufacturing, there are a number of ways they can increase their productivity without expanding their workforce. One of these is upgrading the equipment and facilities. This is a venture that can often pay significant dividends over the long term, but it can be a long, drawn-out and disruptive process, besides being horrifically expensive in terms of capital costs. Just think about the massive plant upgrading projects some of the automotive makers undertook over the past decade: plants were idled for months while decades old equipment was removed and replaced with state of the art robotics and computer-assisted machines. Hundreds of millions of dollars might be spent on just one plant, and then workers all had to undergo retraining before they were certified to work on the new equipment.Sometimes a smaller scale upgrade can have an equally impressive impact on plant productivity. A critical area frequently overlooked is employee time management. There are an incredible number of variables to be tracked in terms of staffing: punching in and out, sick time, vacation, training days, breaks, overtime and payroll, not to mention valuable data like being able to determine profitability of orders by associating hours worked to complete a specific order. Many other companies are still relying on antiquated punch clocks and manual accounting, meaning that a significant amount of information slips through the cracks. Implementing a modern time management system along with an employee attendance software package can help a company to manage employees more effectively, reducing the need for overtime and ensuring that management knows exactly how much manpower is required to fulfill an order. The cost of installing a system like this is peanuts compared to retooling a factory and the disruption to production is minimal. It’s often just the sort of quick productivity gain that companies need to get them through growing pains and usually results in a boost to the bottom line as well. It’s cost effective and proven to be effective so there’s little for most companies to lose.

Allison Kramer is an accountant working with a middle tier auto parts manufacturer. She has worked with everything from

time clocks

to biometric readers during her career and now contributes articles on employee management to accounting journals. Allison recently spoke at a Midwestern conference for auto sector HR professionals, giving a well-received presentation on why

time and attendance software

should be implemented before any company considers layoffs to prevent unnecessary downsizing before accurate productivity data is available.

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