Manjoh Ranch Case Study

Manjoh Ranch is a farm in the Nigel area whose main activities are growing mealies and breeding cattle. They also have a mill which is used to convert some of the maize into various products.

The main issues facing the management was keeping track of all the workers. The labour force varies continually with the seasons. It was also important to be able to positively identify each person when he came to collect his pay.

The existing system was a card based system. This system proved inadequate for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was badly located and staff had to really go out of their way to clock, so most just got lazy and didn’t bother to clock. Other problems, typical of card based systems, such as lost cards and ‘buddy –clocking’ were also issues.

A new system was needed that eliminated these problems, but at the same time allow for positive identification at the pay-office. The Sagem OMA200 outdoor fingerprint reader proved to be the idea solution. As it is weather-proof it could be located outdoors where it is convenient for everybody to clock in and out. By using fingerprints, the issues of lost cards and buddy-clocking were effectively eliminated.

CWBio was then installed as the preferred package to administer the fingerprints on the system. Not only was CWBio developed especially for the Sagem fingerprint time clock readers, but with the inclusion of the CWMatcher add-on, the MSO300 take-on reader can be used to effectively, reliably and quickly identify each person as he presents himself at the pay-office. CWBio is very user-friendy and operation of the system is almost intuitive. CWBio also offers an export of Time and Attendance data directly to ClockWatch.

ClockWatch was then installed to monitor Time and Attendance. Its’ ease of use, combined with easy integration with CWBio and Sagem readers made it an ideal choice. As it is all installed on a farm in a rural area, easy of use and reliability were big considerations as support is not always immediately available.

The biggest issue that Timewatch had to deal with on this installation was power. The 220Vac is unreliable and is often accompanied by spikes on the line. A power-supply with integral battery backup was installed from the start. This first supply proved incapable of handling the erratic mains power and a new, more robust supply had to be installed. A mains filter was also installed with the new power supply to offer and extra layer of protection.

Another issue was that queues sometimes developed at the clocking machine. Although the queues dissipated very quickly, it was a problem when it was raining as there is no shelter around the machine to protect the workers while they stand waiting there turn to clock. This has been alleviated by the recent addition of a second OMA200.

The management at Manjoh Ranch quickly saw the possibility of security/access control using finger-print readers. The latest addition is an MA200 reader inside the reception area to stop unwanted people wandering into the offices. Although the MA100 would have been adequate is this role, it was decided to go with the more advanced MA200 as this could then be used as another clocking terminal if the need ever arose.

As time progresses the system will certainly pay for itself. Not only will these saving be reflected in the more accurate time sheets and wages, but also in the reduced time and effort  required to manage the Time and Attendance and ensure that each person gets the correct wage owing to him.