Category: Shop Floor Data Capture

A Horse Fell On Me – Timewasters Versus The Real Deal

Don’t let the joke be on you, take a look at our latest blog and find out more about recruiting and retaining the best staff for your workplace.

“I’m sorry I can’t attend the interview today, but a horse fell on me”

Believe it or not, this is a genuine excuse from a potential employee, as told to a leading HR magazine, under their heading …..… “I can neigh-make it”. Recruitment is no joke, so what would you do to attract not only the best of the job-seekers out there, but separate the time-wasters from the genuine article?

Every company wants to attract the best in their field.  Flexible working, well-being and benefits are just a few of the usual enticements, but what else would you have to do, to not only attract the best talent but also retain them? Is it high salary that brings in the best?  Not necessarily so. You will find that in most cases, it is your reputation or brand that usually attracts any potential employee, word of mouth, still holds some “clout” (as we say in the North), whether that be face to face or via social media.

If an employee is aware that they’re appreciated by their significant managers, this is quite simply “gold” to a company, as it usually signifies that the company is caring, stable and forward thinking.  An employee’s confidence and self-esteem is lifted and they feel well looked after. Any company or manager that does or doesn’t grasp hold of this “nugget” will reap their own individual reward! To a significant number of individuals, going home at the end of the working day and knowing that they’ve not only contributed to but finished a great job still holds some weight.  People still want to work for a good, well thought of company, a place where they don’t just clock in, clock out and take home a salary.

Lack of support and progression in the workplace, has been shown to be a major demoralising factor.  A happy and enthusiastic workforce is the engine of any company, therefore senior management need to engage or touch base on a regular basis with all their employees to make sure that everyone is happy and enthusiastic. Once you have the key elements of Human Resource Management in place, attracting and retaining the right staff will not be an issue.

This is where we at Elf Productivity Ltd authors of Ceequel® Software Suite come in, as our Time and Attendance software and knowledge is unrivalled. Elf Productivity Ltd’s Human Resource Management and Shop Floor Data Capture modules have key elements that incorporate all of the above.

Ceequel® Shop Floor Data Capture includes an Incentive Scheme Calculation, which is particularly popular within industrial companies.  This module converts individual operator performance with performance related pay.  The benefits of this are increased accuracy and any bonus calculations identified, will export to the payroll immediately. No employee wants to have to constantly chase up their manager or payroll department, be that for a bonus or an increase in earnings! Elf Productivity Ltd’s Time and Attendance system puts an end to all of that, with its fast and accurate monitoring, 24 hours a day.

Elf Productivity’s Human Resource Management module is a fully centralised HR system.  Key features within this module are Training, Flexible Benefits and Appraisals, elements that are productive to both employer and employee.

When a new employee starts work, the list of tasks that the Human Resource department have to work their way through can be draining.  You probably feel like you have already run a marathon after just the recruitment and interview stages. Elf Productivity Ltd’s unmatched Time and Attendance software takes away all the hard work from this time consuming process, even more time consuming if you are still using manual and outdated methods.

Here at Elf Productivity Ltd we have had, like everyone else, our own recruitment experiences (I must admit, no horses though) which is why we are best placed to understand what Human Resource and Payroll Departments want. We are continually developing our modules with new ideas and new ways of making Time and Attendance software processes, simpler, faster and easier.

Keep the staff happy and you are halfway there, don’t have a factory shutdown or mutiny on your hands from disgruntled and underappreciated employees……….. naming no names Mr President!

You use valuable time attracting and recruiting the best, so why not put your time into your automated processes and invest in the best, invest in ELF.

Contact ELF Productivity today for a free no obligation quotation and demonstration of Ceequel® software.

If you would like to learn more about the unrivalled functionality of Ceequel® Software Suite, including our flagship Time and Attendance offering; a range of downloadable brochures can be found here.

Brexit Proof Your Manufacturing

It’s always been important for manufacturing organisations to be able to keep up with shift changes or market demands. After the recent brexit decision its now crucial that these organisations are able to fully accommodate all future changes by remaining flexible throughout every part of their manufacturing process.

Brexit

With Brexit on its way, it is now more important than ever that manufacturing organisations remain flexible in order to keep up with potential shifts in market demands. What margins you’re making by product, what processes you employ, and the capabilities of your facilities and employees needs to be nimble – and lean.  Most companies opt to implement a shop floor data capture system to manage the information surrounding their manufacturing processes.  However, our experience shows that the majority of the data you get back from your shop floor – is at best a guess.  ELF Productivity’s world leading shop floor data capture system takes the guess work out of your shop floor.  It delivers accurate data and provides staggering, true, information at a granular level.

Time/Activity Tracking

Most manufacturing organisation struggle when it comes to knowing how much time is being spent on each task. With employees often switching between projects and tasks having an understanding of how long was spent completing one whole project is virtually impossible.  CEEQUEL’s Shop Floor Data Capture accurately records how much time each employee spends on each given project. The system can also record how much time was spent on each individual job, activity and task – whether the employee was on productive or non-productive work.  It will show you your WIP, any bottlenecks on your floor and even skills gaps of your employees. CEEQUEL can also compare how long each job has taken compared to your standard time database and if required, calculate any performance related pay (including efficiency modifications for scrappage and reworks) – then automatically pass these bonuses on to your payroll department.

Job Cost Tracking

Knowing exactly how much margin you’re making on each product is vital to any manufacturer. This however becomes even more stressful for manufacturing organisation with employees who are often switching between high and low value jobs.  CEEQUEL SFDC accurately tracks how much time each employee is spending on each job, provides a true correlation between productive and non-productive hours and can calculate the true cost of that job.  Don’t forget, as we know what time an employee clocks in/out, when their shift breaks are, if they’re late back from lunch, been on a training course, an internal meeting or even cleaning down – true times and costs really do mean true times and costs.

Machine monitoring

The Biggest headache for any manufacturing organisation is machine productivity.  If you’ve invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in your technology, you need it to be as productive as possible. Broken or faulty machinery can cost manufacturing businesses thousands of pounds as they are unable to hit production targets. The CEEQUEL shop floor data capture system captures real time information from each of your manufacturing machines spotting issues at the earliest opportunity.  The system also calculates and collects all machine cost per hour allowing you to make an informed decision on the replacement of any of your machinery.  Most importantly it will highlight the efficiencies of man and machine.  Have you got the right individuals working on your equipment?

Listed above are just a few of the problems CEEQUEL SFDC can help resolve. For more information about what our shop floor data capture system will do for your manufacturing organisation contact us today!

 

Shop floor Data Capture – How lean are your processes?

Constantly hitting production targets is crucial to any company producing products. Having a system in place that records and tracks production numbers at every available stage is key – check out this infographic to discover the impact a shop floor data capture system can have on an organisation.

When it comes to the production of products every company needs to be able to stay on top of their processes. unproductive employees and faulty machinery can prove fatal to any manufacturing organisation. Constantly missing production targets over an extensive period of time can lead to a significant drop in profits which if not corrected can lead to the closure of any organisation. A Shop Floor Data Capture system is designed to help organisations track each stage of their manufacturing process and record accurate data for employers to monitor. The below infographic provides more information on what a shop floor data capture system is and the benefits it can have on organisations who opt to implement one.

The Benefits of a Shop Floor Data Capture system

(click to enlarge image)

shop floor data capture

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ELF Productivity Ceequel Portfolio

Here at Elf productivity we offer a range of services that intertwine together to form our Ceequel software suite. Each module can help you as a business deal with the different time consuming tasks your departments face on a daily basis. For example our easy to use time and attendance suite has revolutionised the way in which hundreds of organisations gather n track their employee attendance information.

infograpgic elf

Centralise all your human resource and time management requirements with Ceequel

Here at Elf Productivity Ltd we offer a wide variety of products and services to our clients. Over 30 years of collective experience within the time and attendance market allows us to provide you with unparalleled industry knowledge and expertise. Why not check out this inforgraphic for more information about what is is we do.

Elf infographic

Time & Attendance-Data Collection made easy by ELF Productivity

Elf Productivity Ltd understands the needs of every business and we thrive on helping you achieve your ideal set up. We listen to your business needs and use our industry expertise to help you choose the correct terminal for your working environment. We offer a wide variety of terminals that interact seamlessly with our time and attendance suite.

Time & Attendance System

Every working environment is different some more than others meaning the collection of your employees time and attendance data can be a difficult task to handle for many organisations.

Here at Elf Productivity we understand the needs of every business and provide our customers with a clocking terminal that suits their environment and requirements.  Each terminal has the capability to communicate in real time meaning your employees clocked status (in or out) is updated within Ceequel time and attendance in only a few seconds.  The way in which your employee’s clock in and out can be fulfilled by various methods and is often decided by the way in which your organisation works.

Terminals are capable of communicating with each other in many ways meaning all employee data is up-to-date and available to access from any location. The most common way in which terminals communicate is via TCP/IP it is possible however to set them up so that they can work via Wi-Fi , GPRS,VPN and also 3G n 4G networks.

Terminal types and industry

Elf productivity specialises in several different types of terminals. Each terminal can be customised to your working environment and set up with your chosen method of clocking.  Making sure your organisation has the correct terminal for your industry is of the up most importance to us. This is why we listen to your company needs and use our past experiences to suggest not only the most suitable terminals but also the most cost effective for your organisation.

Low cost terminals

Low cost terminals are ideal for companies within the office, clerical or admin profession who have simple clocking requirements. Elf’s iclock can be configured to display messages upon clocking or even be configured to display time and attendance data upon selecting a function key such as, number of remaining holidays, hours worked, overtime or flexi balance.

Mid-range terminals

Typically deployed in warehousing and distribution, these units are can also be utilised with hand held barcode readers for a low cost shop floor data capture solution. These hand held readers will help simplify the scanning of job sheets saving your shop floor managers time and money.

 

Touch screen industrial terminals

Touch screen data terminals utilise both Windows or Linux technology and are available with either a barcode, proximity or finger print reader. These terminals will allow your employees to access their personal records such as a graphical holiday screen, clock card times and also allows them to see who the first aider is within their department.

The main benefit of having a touch screen terminal is that it integrates well with shop floor data capture. Ceequel can be integrated with the vast majority of ERP systems allowing for live jobs and activities to be automatically uploaded in real-time, as well as select relevant operations and include information on quantity produced, scrapped and any downtime reasons. These terminals can also be used to view safety protocols ensuring all employees are up to date with current procedures and have accepted all changes to critical documents.

The front end screens on a touch screen terminal can be designed around your company’s individual requirements. This ensures that all data collected within your organisation can be streamlined in the relevant way.

Touch screen tablets

Elf’s software suite can be accessed of any device meaning it is possible for companies to set up industry standard tablets. This makes it possible for line managers to allocate jobs/activates and locations to their employees from out of the office and provides a way for employees to view their daily tasks without having to make numerous trips to the clock.

Biometric Terminals

The day and age of card based time and attendance is officially over and many companies have now chosen to implement biometric terminals in order to keep up with technology.  At ELF we provide a choice of Biometric options including fingerprint, vein, face or hand recognition.

Access control hardware

Here at elf productivity we sell a large range of access control hardware. All access control systems are IP based meaning all data and media can be quickly passed through to the Ceequel time & attendance suite. Access control systems can be accessible via proximity card, fob or fingerprint

If you’re looking to implement a simplistic time and attendance system that can increase the knowledge of your employees and ultimately save money – contact us today!

Manufacturing Shop Floor Data Capture (SFDC) with Time & Attendance

Keeping track of your employees productive and unproductive hours is a crucial task for any business who wishes to be successful. Having access to this type of information provides your business with the ability to view all unproductive hours and implement processes which will help improve individual employee productivity levels.

Shop Floor Data Capture

Organisations are always looking for ways to measure and develop the productivity of their employees. It is vitally important if they want to ensure their continued growth and success. To make sure of this, organisations need to have full control over their employees’ working hours – both productive and unproductive. The best way to do this is through the use of time attendance systems.

 

The use of these systems allows companies to record when their workers start their work and when they stop. They are also able to identify the kind of work as well as the level of productivity. Elf Productivity Limited is a provider of high quality time management and attendance systems that are both reliable and cost effective. We deliver top quality support with our time management software and valuable industry experience.

Shop Floor Data Capture (SFDC)

Our Ceequel® Time and attendance software can help increase companies knowledge of their shop floor.  Companies obtain granular data which ultimately saves on cost through fast and efficient data capture. Since data is captured on the shop floor itself and in real time, accuracy is guaranteed. It leads to a reconciliation of productive and non-productive time. Companies using shop floor data capture are expected to receive the following results.

  • Our state of the art touch screen terminals allow employees to select live jobs often by skill set. It helps increase productivity because all they need to do is simply use the terminal for selecting a job specific to the employee. With the system’s capability to track projects and see the actual time that it takes to complete the job, it is easy to compare actuals to standards or the target/budget time that’s meant for that specific project.
  • It is simpler and easier to select specific activities within a job. The activity tracking module allows for real time information on jobs as it progresses through the manufacturing process. The gradual and step by step progress of any project is visible by both management and employees.
  • It will capture quantities produced, waste and any reworks. This allows companies to measure the actual productivity and efficiency of their employees. Measures can then be taken on how efficiencies can be maximized.
  • Ability to restrict employees by their skill type. This means that the software will help organisations in making sure that only employees who have relevant skill sets are allowed on certain jobs. This makes the work more efficient and ensures that results will almost always be satisfactory.
  • There are certain jobs that need to be prioritised over others. With the use of our shop floor data software, companies are enabled to selectively place the jobs that need to be completed (in order of importance) in their proper order.

Combining the systems that we offer – with our unparalleled industry knowledge and expertise – allows us to provide organisations with a bridge between productive and non-productive time. Productivity is maximised while other non-productive activities including employees become clearer and more defined.

With the quality and capabilities of Ceequel® and our deep commitment to quality customer service, it is easy to see why we have managed to become one of the leading time management companies not just in the UK but in the whole of Europe. Please contact us or take a tour of our website to see how we can assist your organisation.

Why Shop Floor Data Capture Is A Necessity For Your Business

Keeping a record of your shop floor production numbers should be a crucial task for all manufacturing organisations. Organisations who don’t have a shop floor data capture system in place risk losing money. This is because these businesses are unable to monitor and identify the weakest points within their production process.

Time is money in the world of business, and that is particularly true when it comes to production on the shop floor. If you have a machine that isn’t producing the numbers you need, then every tick of the clock is taking money out of your pocket. That’s why businesses who are keeping an eye on efficiency make sure that they have a shop floor data capture programme in place.

What is Shop Floor Data Capture?

If you were running a website, you would have some sort of analytics program in place that fed you updates on your numbers: you would know which pages were getting the most views, how long visitors were staying on average, and you’d be able to get instant updates on how your traffic looked. Shop floor data capture performs a similar function, but it captures the numbers on production.

Shop floor data capture is a network of sensors which watch your production values, and which notify you of changes immediately. If, for example, you have a machine that should bottle 60 gallons of milk a minute, but that number drops to 50 per minute, those numbers will immediately be shot to your smartphone or work terminal. Once you know there’s a slow-down, you can track it to see if it’s holding steady, or if it’s getting worse. You can also compare the actual numbers to what you have to produce in order to determine whether the machine needs to be fixed immediately, or if you can wait until the production day is over.

Without shop floor data capture, these warnings often come far too late. With no electronic sensors keeping an eye on the shop floor, you might not know there’s an issue until you’re 200 bottles of milk short, or until there’s a backup in the machinery that leads to a serious problem that can be more expensive to fix. Shop floor data capture is an early warning system, numbers tracker, and data mine all in one, which is why these systems are becoming more popular every day.

For more information on what shop floor data capture can do for your business, simply contact us today!

Shop Floor Data Capture gives you Instant Access to Data you need

Making sure your company constantly hits its production targets is crucial if you want to remain in business. That’s why the implementation of a shop floor data capture system is imperative. Having accurate information to hand on production numbers during every part of the process allows you to identify where and when you’ve fallen short.

Numbers make the world go round, and they can be a matter of life or death for your business. If you need to fill orders, but find out too late that you haven’t completed enough of the product, then you’re in serious trouble. That’s why it’s important to get regular updates on your numbers by using shop floor data capture to keep tabs.

What is Shop Floor Data Capture?

The simple answer is that shop floor data capture is when you use sensors and computers to keep track of your production numbers. Say you were making lengths of pipe, under normal circumstances your machinery can produce 100 lengths in an hour, but due to a worn-out gasket that needs to be replaced you only produce 95 an hour. That isn’t a problem in the short-run, but over days and weeks that means you’re producing a lot fewer pieces of pipe than you thought. Shop floor data capture would notify you of the slower production, and you’d be able to fix the problem in time to keep your orders filled.

Shop floor data capture gives you instant updates on your numbers, making sure that if there’s a discrepancy between what you think you’re producing, and what you’re actually producing, then you can catch it quickly enough to fix the problem. Shop floor data capture keeps you up to date, and it ensures that you know exactly where you are in minutes rather than in hours or days.

For more information on how shop floor data capture can help your business succeed, simply contact us today!

Shop Floor Data Capture is the Canary in the Coal Mine for modern Businesses

As a production company, making sure you stay on top of your produce and waste numbers is an essential process if you wish to remain in business. Any drop within your production numbers could become critical as less stock means less money. That is why it is crucial for any company who produces a product to implement a shop floor data capture system.

In the days before OSHA safety standards, coal miners would bring canaries down into the mines with them, the little yellow birds would tweet happily in their cages, raising the spirits of the miners as they toiled away beneath the mountains. The birds, being so tiny, would also die if exposed to dangerous, invisible gases, which gave miners a warning to get out before they met a similar fate.

Shop floor data capture is kind of like that, if it was for manufacturers.

Shop Floor Data Capture: A Better Canary?

Let’s say that you run a printing company, and you have your machines set to produce 500 magazines an hour in order to meet your client’s needs (it’s just an example, you could easily use this with any product on the market). What you don’t know is that your presses are only putting out 450 an hour because of an easy-to-fix problem that’s hard to detect. You don’t realise your production is falling behind until you’re almost at the deadline and your numbers aren’t adding up. Shop floor data capture is a way to prevent this sudden, last-minute realisation

How Does It Work?

Shop floor data capture is fairly simple: you attach sensors to your production machinery, and those sensors capture the raw numbers in real-time. Those numbers are then provided directly to you, and if there’s a deviation from what you need to have, you find out in minutes or hours instead of days or weeks. The system is smooth, and it uses wireless communication to make certain you know what’s going on at the shop floor level so you can side-step any nasty surprises.

Put another way, no metaphorical methane is going to sneak up on you and your workers while you’re toiling in the mine. For more information on shop floor data capture, and how it can help your business, simply contact us today!