Tag: Shop Floor Data Capture

What’s In A Name?

“Say my name, say my name” Have a read of our latest blog post on recruiting and retaining the best staff for your workforce.

“So, your name is Molly, why?”

Taken aback by that question? Struggling to think of a suitable answer? In fact, what sort of a reply can you possibly give or be expected to give when faced with that question?

Reported recently by a leading HR magazine, that question was actually put to a potential employee during the interview process.

But it doesn’t end there.

Another question was asked, this time to a different candidate;

“What space phenomenon do you relate to?”

This time around however, the quick witted candidate was faster off the mark and fired back with the response;

“A black hole, because I suck all the energy out of the room”

Very clever!

Let’s be honest, we have all experienced the odd interview/interviewee and here at ELF Productivity we are not immune to it.

Several years ago, we experienced what can only be described as a severe case of emotional attachment and/or trust issues, which involved “the girlfriend” wanting and actually attempting to sit in and attend “the boyfriend’s” interview!

All joking apart, let’s be honest, over the years both employees and Human Resource departments have seen it all during the recruitment process, for further clarification, please refer to our previous blog post; “A Horse Fell On Me – Timewasters vs the Real Deal”

With Brexit now on the horizon and as the country manoeuvres and weaves its way through this complex transitional time, the recruitment process is now no longer about candidates fighting for that key placement. As we inch ever closer to leaving our grouchy European cousins behind, a skills shortage is now emerging as a real possibility.

Candidates leaving the UK for the foreseeable future, have left the door wide open for others to step in and reap the opportunities that are now on offer. Training, flexible/remote working, study support/leave and attractive remuneration packages are now dangled enticingly under potential employees noses.

Where once a replacement could easily be found, companies now need to re-think their whole recruitment strategy and offer flexible working and in-house training as standard options. Throw into the mix the ever increasing retirement age, advancements in digital development, employees having to work until they “drop”; that was a joke by the way, companies have little option but to market their particular brand with a lot more skill, knack and aptitude in what is now, a very competitive market.

But how would you make a good impression? What options would you need to offer, what changes would you have to make with regards to your own processes and procedures, in order to have the best workforce possible?

Let’s go back to the original question, “What’s in a name?”

Say the name ELF Productivity Limited or to its software peers, CEEQUEL® and you have an instantly recognisable brand.

That’s because CEEQUEL® is a name that you can trust.

ELF Productivity Limited has been at the forefront of Biometric Time and Attendance Management systems since 1982.

Where others have failed, CEEQUEL® has prevailed.

Without wishing to sound arrogant, you have to hold a very good deck of cards in your hands to put your head above the parapet and be able to withstand the competition in the Time and Attendance market for over 35 years.

As we progress into another new phase of development, ELF Productivity Ltd remains at the cutting edge, not only in terms of in-house talent but in the sheer vast knowledge of Biometric Time Management solutions that comes only from experience.

With an all-encompassing, fully integrated software solution such as Human Resource Management, your entire workforce can be managed from one central kiosk. This fully integrated CEEQUEL® module can co-exist on the same Time Attendance database or as a standalone HR Management solution.

Employee Self Service,Web-Manager and Shop Floor Data Capture; all come under ELF’s very impressive belt. CEEQUEL® mobile apps for Android, Apple and Windows devices are an added benefit for those employees that prefer to be a little more remote and flexible.

Biometric Access Control with fingerprint and facial recognition will help you monitor and track your entire workforce; whilst Shop Floor Data Capture will help you convert operator performance into performance related pay and bonuses.

CEEQUEL® Time and Attendance software suite has it all.

So what are you waiting for, isn’t it time you became acquainted with a name you can depend on, a Time and Attendance Management solution that continues to live up to its name, time and time again?

If you would like to learn more about the incomparable software suite that is CEEQUEL® Contact ELF Productivity Ltd today today for a free demonstration and no obligation quotation.

For a closer look at CEEQUEL®, our range of brochures can be downloaded here here

ELF Productivity Limited and CEEQUEL® names you can rely on, names you can trust.

Grease Is The Word

“I got chills, they’re multiplying”! Have a read of our latest blog post and discover how the original is ALWAYS the best.

Movie

This year sees the 40th Anniversary of that timeless classic movie of 1950’s teenage angst….. GREASE!

That’s right, the all singing, all dancing, hand-jiving ageless flick which turned Olivia Newton John and John Travolta into overnight stars, has reached the BIG 40!

To understand how Grease became THE movie of 1978 – if not all time, Vince Fontaine probably sums it up the best with his understated line “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s what you do with your dancin’ shoes”

Admit it; you really didn’t think that 40 years had passed by since you were singing “Summer Nights” and declaring “Sandy! You just can’t walk out of a drive-in”!

Time, unfortunately for everyone, really does have a habit of ticking by.

Even though 1978 still seems like yesterday for some of you; long hot summers, Spangles and Marathon bars (ask your Mum) does anyone remember or even realise that there was actually a sequel to Grease in the 1980’s?

Even though there were some great films in the ‘80’s, Grease 2 sadly isn’t one of them.

Released with great hype and expectation, the film has the same style of characters but without any of the original “chemistry “or endearing quality that everyone felt with The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. By trying to recreate the original and as we all know you can’t improve on the genuine article, they produced a big fat dud! Ultimately, that familiar sense of “this is not what I was expecting” kicked in. The cinema paying public definitely weren’t “Hopelessly Devoted” to THIS sequel and gave it a big thumbs down!

To be fair, how can you improve on something that was so imaginative, so creative, that even now 40 years later, is still adored?

Sadly, this is what it can feel like with Time & Attendance Management systems. On the surface they may look and sound alike but not all Time & Attendance software is the same.

Here at ELF Productivity Limited, authors of the original CEEQUEL® software suite, we have been at the forefront of Biometric Time & Attendance and Human Resource Management since 1982. Other Time & Attendance systems may give the impression that they are comparable to ELF but CEEQUEL® is distinctive.

What sets ELF Productivity apart from all other systems is that our understanding and proficiency is incomparable. CEEQUEL® software is constantly evolving and as we advance into another new phase of development, we remain the definitive enterprise in Time & Attendance procedures – in other words the “Real McCoy”.

Software that works harder and deployed the way you want it, either via your existing IT infrastructure or via the cloud. CEEQUEL® Apps for iPhone, Android and Windows, provides your workforce with worldwide connectivity.

CEEQUEL® Employee Self Service and E-Manager modules will equip you with all the tools necessary, to enable you to manage not only your HR obligations but your remote and flexible workforce, whilst Access Control and Shop Floor Data Capture will come alongside and help you monitor and keep track of your entire workforce.

So, with all that information in mind, is CEEQUEL® software suite “The One That You Want” for your company this year? Do you need a Biometric Time & Attendance system that will “Go Together” with your existing workforce?

If so, choose the number 1 in Time & Attendance Management, choose the original CEEQUEL®

If you would like to know more about the advanced and revolutionary software suite that is CEEQUEL® our index of brochures can be found here.

Contact ELF Productivity Ltd today today for a free no obligation quotation and demonstration of CEEQUEL® software

And remember, keep dancin’!

Are You Allowing A Toxic Culture Into Your Workplace?

“Don’t you know that you’re toxic”. Have a read of our latest blog post here, on the best way to highlight that toxic employee.

Conflict

Let’s be honest, we have all experienced a difficult co-worker or manager at some time in our working lives. This is nothing new in the workplace but sadly, as a recent Harvard Business Study uncovered, bullying and incivility is not something that your company can afford to ignore.

The business study, which was undertaken by 60,000 employees, highlighted the true financial cost to businesses on the shop floor that employed people with a partiality to, but not exclusively, the following :-

• Vulgarity
• Lack of respect
• Lack of manners
• Discourteousness
• Coarseness
• Impoliteness
• Rudeness

The study also highlighted that by allowing such individuals to remain in the company over a long period of time, had a detrimental effect on the retention of other key members of staff.

The statistics below make for grim reading, as staff retention is crucial to any forward thinking company.

• 38% Intentionally decreased their work output
• 25% Took their frustrations out on their clients
• 12% Left their jobs altogether

The hiring process doesn’t always come easy for management, especially if they are lacking in the people-skills department themselves. Managers may be good at running a business or a department in terms of work, but from time to time they can fail to pick up on certain attributes that a person displays during the recruitment process. By missing these characteristics, individuals can and often do, “slip through the net”.

And as we all know, everyone can look good on paper!

Let’s take a look at the 5 main prime antagonists that may rear their “ugly heads” in the workplace as uncovered by the business study.

1. The Slacker
2. The Bully
3. The Gossip
4. The Lone Wolf
5. The Know it All

As you will see from the list, Human Resource Departments can do without the burden of this particular type of employee – in any situation.

So what can be done to highlight and more so bring to task this certain individual? What can management and in particular Human Resource Departments do, to end this negative cycle within the workplace?

ELF Productivity Limited’s CEEQUEL® software is the essential Time Management suite that you need.

ELF’s Time and Attendance system will allow you to uncover the real reason behind the downturn in productivity. Whether you need to supervise “The Slacker” on the shop floor or call time on “The Gossip” in the office, CEEQUEL® and our Shop Floor Data Capture and Human Resources modules will provide everything you require and necessitate for your workforce.

Shop Floor Data Capture

Shop Floor Data Capture does exactly what it says on the tin, it is employee tracking at its very best. A component of the CEEQUEL® Time and Attendance software suite, Shop Floor Data Capture not only calculates employees working hours, it also tracks activities and jobs over a specified time; thus highlighting that “shirker” and “gossip-monger” on the shop floor. Another benefit this module provides is the Incentive Scheme Calculation. This calculation is particularly popular within the manufacturing sector as it converts operator performance into performance related pay.

Human Resource Management

CEEQUEL® Human Resource Management solution is an all-encompassing, fully comprehensive HR module that will completely transform your personnel requirements. With views such as appraisals, discipline and grievance procedures, it provides the necessary instruments needed to deal with your day to day management workload. This module provides you with the software to not only supervise every individual employee but it will also highlight your hardworking employees; thus enabling you to reward and promote the right staff.

Another added benefit to CEEQUEL® Human Resource Management module is that it can co-exist on the same Time and Attendance database or as a standalone HR Management solution.

Does your company need a dynamic Time Management system that will not only stop a toxic culture from springing up in your workplace but allows your company to run more efficiently and smoothly?

Is it time for you to take a closer look at your workforce?

CEEQUEL® Time and Attendance software suite is all you need to monitor and keep track of your ENTIRE workforce.

If you would like to know more about the unrivalled CEEQUEL® Software Suite, including our leading Time and Attendance modules; the downloadable catalogue of brochures can be found here.

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

Time and Attendance Specialists ELF Productivity Limited Receive “Top 50 in Technology” Award

ELF Productivity Limited, software authors of the outstanding Ceequel Employee Management Software receive Acquisition International Magazine’s prestigious Top 50 in Technology award. Read our blog for more information.

Time and Attendance Specialists ELF Receive Award

Here at ELF Productivity, we are delighted to be included in Acquisition International Magazine’s prestigious “Top 50 in Technology”. The monthly publication which has amassed in excess of 100,000 subscribers in over 170 countries, recognises the game-changing attributes of Ceequel® Employee Management Software which has enabled ELF to become one of the fastest growing companies in the UK Time and Attendance industry sector.

Designed, authored and supported in-house by ELF, Ceequel® incorporates an extensive array of software modules capable of providing a true holistic solution to a company’s Time and Attendance, Access Control, Human Resource Management and Shop Floor Data Capture requirements. Furthermore, Ceequel® Employee Management Software has been developed to satisfy the needs of virtually any organisation, regardless of company size or industry sector. Our clients include: manufacturers, public sector organisations, SME’s and large blue chip companies, further reinforcing the considerable versatility of our service offering.

For more information about Ceequel® and the positive impact our software can have on your organisation’s productivity and profitability contact us today. To view the Acquisition International article on ELF Productivity please click 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!

 

CEEQUEL – Employee Management Software Portfolio

The Ceequel portfolio created by ELF Productivity consists of a number of modulus. All modules can be full integrated together to form a company wide employee management system. All seven modules are available to be implemented separately.

CEEQUEL Portfolio

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!