Businesses across all industries and sectors are under pressure to operate within the ‘new normal’, unprecedented conditions that calls for tighter control of resources and acute focus on workforce management.
Guenter Nerlich, sales manager: WFM/ERP solutions EAD, sub-Sahara Africa) at dormakaba, says with lockdown measures enforced across most markets, companies and their premises have to be managed with social distancing, safety and security constantly in mind.
Nerlich says: “As a company, you need to know at any point of time were your employees are, who was at the office and who was not. We need to be in a position where we can answer who’s where, when, and what time. Make sure regulations and employees are checked before they enter a building, are they in the roster are they allowed to work or are they supposed to work from the home office, did they have their temperature checked, etc.”
Dormakaba stresses that every company must think long-term and how employees work together, how conducive is the environment for innovation and sustainability? Is the environment positively charged and does it serve to empower the workforce.
The company understands that access control is paramount, as is time and attendance to ensure that human capital costs are kept to a minimum.
As a provider of next-generation access control, door hardware and workforce management solutions, the company can help businesses equip themselves with just the right kind of architecture to suit the specific access requirements. Solutions also include flexible room concepts with movable walls and frameless glass hardware, barrier-free access and automatic entrance systems.
Says Nerlich: “You would like to increase productivity by reducing employee lateness, unauthorised breaks and early departures? Conventional time clocks and manual time sheets are too cumbersome? You have to record absences due to illness or accidents for insurance purposes? Electronic time recording manages such requirements with convenient recording of time data.
“Our terminals, for example, are easy to install and simple to use. They can be customised to meet your specific needs and expanded if necessary. The terminals communicate with a wide range of time recording solutions via the integration platform B-Comm. These time recording and access control applications are available from dormakaba. Alternatively, the terminals can be directly integrated into your ERP system, like SAP.”
As Nerlich explains, access control has had to adapt to the new normal and the company’s focus is on making their existing environments ‘pandemic compatible’.
It is no longer simply about traditional access control solutions, including physical barriers, card systems and biometric applications – today it involves a range of solutions that can be customised to the needs and requirements of any environment, irrespective of how unique.
There are suites of solutions specifically designed around intuitive software that manages the entire systems, including user profiles, badges and door components.
“There is an audit trail facility to provide all access and system incidents at glance. Data access is given only to authorised personnel using a flexible authorisation concept. The solutions integrate with intruder systems, alarm systems and CCTV, as well as with ERP systems. Effective management is about highest possible level of control utilising proven technology and function principles.”