Bemis Flexible Packaging is a leading manufacturer of food and beverage packaging. In early 2010, Bemis Company Inc. acquired Alcan Packaging’s Food Americas Division, including its Toronto, Canada manufacturing facility.
To stay competitive, the Toronto facility invested in solutions aimed at improving efficiency and boosting productivity while striving for excellence in food packaging solutions and services. However, the manual time clocks and payroll data processing systems remained largely unchanged.
Says Ian Morton, Human Resources Manager at Bemis Flexible Packaging’s Toronto manufacturing facility.
After evaluating time and attendance management solutions from several companies, Synerion’s (formerly Lavie Timetech) solution was chosen for its adaptability to the complex payroll requirements of the manufacturing sector. Synerion’s focus on customer needs and its efficient implementation methodology were key factors in the decision to choose their solution.
Manually tracking attendance for the assembly line workforce at the Toronto factory, where 80% of employees are covered by union labor agreements, was a cumbersome, time-consuming process prone to human error. It was challenging to determine who worked, where, when, and at what rate, as data was collected using manual report cards, then summarized and transferred to Excel sheets for payroll preparation.
The challenge was to maintain cost control on each assembly line while ensuring accurate payment for each employee based on the work performed.
Monitoring attendance hours, overtime, and absences was done retroactively using attendance cards, leading to inaccuracies such as: employees signing in for others who were late or paying overtime despite the employee working fewer hours than required.
Retroactively updating data created significant pressure during payroll preparation and made it difficult to accurately calculate employees’ entitlements. This manual process, conducted in Excel sheets and then manually entered into the payroll system, was prone to errors and often required deductions or payment reductions even after payroll calculations were finalized.
Our integrated solution for payroll calculations, HR management, and attendance eliminates the need to input data into multiple systems, automates processes, and reduces administrative work and paperwork.
Compliance with the Labor Constitution and union agreements required significant effort from both the Human Resources and Payroll departments. The manual process of collecting accurate data, calculating, and generating reports on working hours and conditions required significant resources and exposed the company to risks of non-compliance with labor laws and agreements.
Balancing labor costs with increasingly tight profit margins is a major challenge for manufacturing plants. Without comprehensive information and reports on actual attendance and varying task rates, manual processes made it impossible for managers to track true labor costs. The lack of information resulted in overtime exceeding planned amounts, driving up operating costs.
The Toronto plant implemented Synerion Workforce Management Solutions along with a biometric access control system. Currently, employee entry and exit data is collected through the system by scanning the palm of the hand.
praises Ian Morton of Bemis Flexible Packaging –
The Bemis Flexible Packaging plant in Toronto had previously faced an unsuccessful implementation of a time and attendance management system from a well-known international company.
The organization approached the implementation of Synerion systems for time and attendance management, task costing, and work scheduling with an understanding of the issue’s complexity. It was not just converting working hours into salary payments, but implementing various formats and rates based on tasks, along with complex calculations for vacations, absences, and their impact on salary. The process involved a shift in organizational culture and initially faced significant opposition from both employees and management until it was completed.
concluded Ian Morton of Bemis Flexible Packaging.
The system automatically collects employee time and attendance data and sends it to supervisors. Supervisors now have full visibility into their subordinates’ daily and weekly work data and can generate reports. The reports are generated daily and weekly, providing detailed data on who worked, when, for how long, and in what position.
The information is continuously updated and processed throughout the week, preventing bottlenecks before payroll preparation.
Accurate time management leads to significant cost savings: “The new processes introduced by Synerion, from automatic time data collection to payroll preparation, have saved at least 20% of the working time for supervisors, payroll staff, and other involved parties.”
says Ian Morton of Bemis Flexible Packaging.
With the shift from manual processes, information now flows automatically between employees, supervisors, and those responsible for scheduling. HR and payroll departments now work more efficiently and accurately, reducing repetitive tasks and the need for corrections. Work scheduling, change approvals, activity updates, and comments are entered by supervisors, HR and payroll departments, managers, and other supervisors, and can be viewed at any time.
To effectively manage demanding business processes, managers require insights into their workforce. With Synerion systems, managers and supervisors at Bemis Flexible Packaging now have enhanced visibility into work scheduling and actual attendance. At the end of each workday, supervisors can compare the planned schedule with actual performance. From approving absences to changes on the production floor affecting hourly rates, information is now always up-to-date, accurate, and ready for payroll processing.
The connection between actual operating costs and payroll payments has driven efficiency gains. Even when overtime is allocated, the system first ensures the employee has completed all standard hours before counting overtime. This step alone has led to a significant reduction in overtime payments.
Payment accuracy was also ensured through precise tracking of absences, tardiness, and vacations. Additionally, a task costing system ensures employees are paid according to the rates for the tasks they perform.
As a result of accurate payments, Bemis Flexible Packaging has reduced expenses while increasing employee satisfaction, with employees now compensated based on the tasks they perform.
The Toronto plant expects to save more each month with the Synerion systems, having achieved a return on investment in under a year.
Identifying the Right Partner
The Bemis Flexible Packaging plant in Toronto had previously faced an unsuccessful implementation of a time and attendance management system from a well-known international company.
The organization approached the implementation of Synerion systems for time and attendance management, , task costing, and work scheduling with an understanding of the issue’s complexity. It was not just converting working hours into salary payments, but implementing various formats and rates based on tasks, along with complex calculations for vacations, absences, and their impact on salary. The process involved a shift in organizational culture and initially faced significant opposition from both employees and management until it was completed.
“We found Synerion to be a valuable partner during a challenging transition, offering a functional solution at a reasonable price for an organization of our size. Synerion’s unique implementation methodology enabled us to tailor the solution to our work processes. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Synerion on workforce management solutions to optimize our resources”
concluded Ian Morton of Bemis Flexible Packaging.
