Disciplined employee management, correct tracking of shifts, and timely processing of payroll are all important components of manufacturing industries. As many manufacturing industries have multiple shifts with many overtime rules and some contractors, errors, disturbances, and compliance issues are common when using manual attendance methods.
By using a strong attendance management system, the manufacturing company collects employee time data in real time. It can also automate scheduling for shifts and determine exact wage amounts owed to each employee. When this system is integrated with existing payroll software and an existing leave management system, it creates a complete and integrated HR ecosystem that helps the manufacturing company operate smoothly throughout its plants.
Choosing the right attendance management system for the manufacturing industry will provide HR staff with an opportunity to reduce their administrative workload and improve compliance with labour regulations while maintaining higher productivity levels across all of the plants.
What Is an Attendance Management System?
An attendance management system is a system that supports the human resource function and allows for all employees’ working hours, the time they work each week, overtime hours worked, and anytime they arrive late or miss shifts to be captured digitally and stored on an employee attendance management system. This system replaces paper attendance records, punch cards and spreadsheets with a system that tracks employee attendance digitally through an automated, accurate method.
Modern employee attendance systems can be integrated directly into payroll software and leave management systems, providing an easier way to calculate salaries, determine whether employees are paid for overtime and generate compliance reports in a timely manner. This is particularly beneficial for employers in the manufacturing industry with complex employee structures.
Best Attendance Management Systems for the Manufacturing Industry
1. Savvy HRMS
Savvy HRMS, India-centric HR management solution to meet the increasing employee challenges of the manufacturing industry. The advanced capabilities for attendance tracking, payroll integration and compliance provide a means for analyzing shifts, tracking overtime, and ensuring workforce efficiency throughout the factory floor and multi-site operations.
Key Features
- Biometric & Mobile Attendance: The ability to track employee check-ins and out-of-area check-ins using biometrics and mobile devices, along with location-based geo-fencing with regard to travelling employees working remotely, as well as employees who work on-site.
- Shift Management: The easy management of rotating shifts and the shift patterns associated with night-time and flexible shifts common in manufacturing industries is supported.
- Overtime & Compliance Management: Automatic calculation of overtime charges for employees in compliance with the company’s Overtime Policy and as governed by the Labour Code of India.
- Payroll Software Integration: Payroll processing is reliable with regard to employee attendance data being processed automatically into the company’s payroll system.
- Leave Management System: Automatic integration of employee leave applications with the automated attendance data as soon as leave approval has been granted.
- Real-Time Workforce Insights: Allows for immediate and complete access to an employee’s absence, fake reporting of absence and data on the number of employees who are available to work on a particular day.
- Multi-Locations Support: Provides multi-location support for manufacturing industries that operate in multiple regions.
- Contractual Personnel Management: Covers all categories of employees (such as permanent, contracted and outsourced).
- Compliance Management Reports: Automatic generation of the statutory requirement for reporting both hours worked and salary distribution for all employees.
Best Suited For
Medium- to large-scale manufacturing plants, factories and industries with various shift structures.
Pricing
Basic: ₹50 per employee, per month
Standard: ₹75 per employee, per month
Enterprise: Pricing negotiable.
2. ZingHR
ZingHR offers a cloud-based attendance management system focused on large companies, helping manufacturing industries to automate attendance, compliance, and employee analytics.
Key Features
- Biometric & IoT Integration: Supports advanced attendance hardware integration.
- Shift Planning: Suitable for rotating and multi-shift environments.
- Payroll Integration: Syncs attendance with payroll software.
- Compliance Management: Labour-law aligned attendance reports.
- Mobile Self-Service: Employees access attendance through a mobile app.
Best Suited For
Large manufacturing companies and industrial groups.
Pricing
Basic: ₹80 per employee per month
Standard: ₹120 per employee per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing
3. greytHR
greytHR is a popular HR and payroll software offering reliable attendance and leave management for small to mid-sized manufacturing companies.
Key Features
- Biometric Attendance Sync: Easy device integration.
- Leave Management System: Automated leave approvals.
- Payroll Processing: Attendance-driven salary calculations.
- Compliance Reports: PF, ESI, and wage compliance support.
- Employee Self-Service: Easy web and mobile access.
Best Suited For
Small and mid-size manufacturing companies.
Pricing
Basic: ₹30 per employee per month
Growth: ₹50 per employee per month
Premium: ₹70 per employee per month
4. Deel
Deel focuses on global workforce management, offering attendance and payroll support for manufacturing companies with international teams or contractors.
Key Features
- Global Attendance Tracking: Supports international employees.
- Contractor Management: Perfect for outsourced roles.
- Payroll Automation: Cross-border payroll support.
- Compliance Tools: Country-specific labour compliance.
- Cloud-Based Platform: Accessible from anywhere.
Best Suited For
Manufacturing companies with global or remote teams.
Pricing
Basic: ₹4,000 per contractor per month (approximately).
Enterprise: Custom pricing available according to the size of the manufacturing industry.
5. Keka HR
Keka HR provides a modern attendance management system combined with payroll software, designed for fast-growing manufacturing businesses.
Key Features
- Smart Attendance Tracking: Biometric and mobile attendance available.
- Shift Management: Flexible shift configuration.
- Payroll Integration: Error-free salary processing.
- Leave Management: Centralized leave control.
- Analytics Dashboard: Attendance records and insights.
Best Suited For
Best for Mid-size manufacturing companies.
Pricing
Basic: ₹40 per employee per month
Professional: ₹70 per employee per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing
6. HR Mantra
HR Mantra offers a complete attendance and payroll solution perfect for Indian manufacturing companies with statutory compliance needs.
Key Features
- Biometric Integration: Correct shop-floor attendance.
- Shift & Overtime Control: Built for factory environments.
- Payroll Software: Fully compliant payroll processing.
- Statutory Compliance: Labour-law-ready reports.
- Custom Workflows: Policy-based attendance rules.
Best Suited For
Large manufacturing and industrial companies.
Pricing
Basic: ₹60 per employee per month
Advanced: ₹90 per employee per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing
7. BambooHR
BambooHR is a user-friendly HR software offering attendance and leave management features, mainly suited for structured manufacturing offices.
Key Features
- Time Tracking: Simple attendance recording.
- Leave Management System: Paid time off tracking and approvals.
- Employee Records: Central HR database.
- Reporting Tools: Attendance summaries.
- Cloud Access: Easy remote access.
Best Suited For
Small manufacturing industries and administrative teams.
Pricing
Basic: ₹500 per employee per month (approximately)
Advanced: Custom pricing according to the number of employees in the manufacturing industries.
Key Features to Look for in the Attendance System for the Manufacturing Industry
1. Managing Shift Schedules
A company’s attendance should be able to handle all types of shift work (such as rotating shifts, night shifts, split shift schedules, etc.) for manufacturing companies that have continuous production schedules without conflict or manual errors.
2. Biometric and Mobile Attendance
Biometric scanners and mobile apps provide correct time entry; they reduce buddy punching and create transparency throughout the production floor and all locations within a factory.
3. Payroll Software Integration
The smooth integration of payroll software takes attendance information from time and attendance and applies directly to pay calculations, overtime and deductions. When the attendance data flows smoothly into payroll, there is no manual error to create errors within payroll processing.
4. Leave Management System
An integrated leave management system will operate approved leave with attendance records, thus reducing mismatched records, absenteeism and maintaining correct records of employee availability for work.
5. Overtime Calculation
Automating the overtime calculation allows manufacturing companies to accurately track employee hours worked, ensure fair compensation, and remain compliant with federal laws and company policies regarding overtime.
6. Compliant Attendance Reporting
Attendance reports that are compliant with applicable labour laws will allow manufacturing companies to be in compliance with statutory reporting requirements and prepare for audits. Compliance reporting helps protect manufacturers from potential penalties related to salary, hours worked and attendance errors.
7. Multi-Location Support
Multi-location tracking enables an HR team to manage employee attendance across multiple factories, production plants and warehouses from one HR software platform.
8. Real-time Dashboards
Real Time Dashboards that allow an administrator to see who is available and when, creating transparency for manpower planning and operational decision-making based upon trends of absenteeism, shift coverage, and availability of the employees.
Benefits of an Attendance Management System for the Manufacturing Industry
1. Maximised Productivity
Ideal attendance management enables manufacturing businesses to maximise their ability to deliver production targets by ensuring they always have sufficient numbers of employees available on-site, thus preventing production downtime arising from being without adequate manpower.
2. Decreased Payroll Errors
Payroll Automation using attendance methods will enable organisations to calculate payroll using attendance data, thus avoiding manual calculations and associated inaccuracies between what an employee’s salary should be and what it is actually calculated as.
3. Legislation Compliance
Structured attendance management will assist manufacturing organisations to remain compliant with legislation by ensuring that they are able to provide evidence of working time, overtime and legislative compliance relating to regular working hours for the purpose of audit and inspection, etc.
4. Enhanced Shifting Planning
Real-time visibility of attendance data allows HR staff to plan shifts effectively, making sure that workforce levels are arranged against actual demand shortly before or immediately when the demand occurs, thereby avoiding what is frequently referred to as overstaffing or understaffing across a variety of manufacturing facilities.
5. Reduction of Absenteeism
By having transparent attendance records, manufacturing organisations are able to provide employees with transparency, which provides employees a means by which to be more punctual and less frequently absent, thereby increasing the potential for improved benefits from their performance, and maximising the level of discipline on the shop floor.
6. Reduction of Time and Cost
The use of automated systems reduces the need for HR to maintain both attendance and employee spreadsheets, which translates into more time to perform administrative duties, lower administrative costs, and provides HR teams with the opportunity to concentrate on high-value activities.
7. Decisions Based on Data
Analytics provide HR with data-driven insight into employee records that enable management to make informed decisions about employee staffing levels, improving employee productivity, and controlling employee costs.
8. Greater Employee Trust
An attendance database allows employees to see their working time, leaves of absence, and hours worked, thereby increasing trust and decreasing the instances when disagreements occur with management regarding payment of employee salaries, overtime, and employee attendance records.
9. Ability to Scale Operations
An attendance management software system will easily accommodate increases in the size of a workforce, the addition of new locations and shifts, and the expansion of existing manufacturing operations, creating less complexity in administration as the business grows.
How to Implement an Attendance Management System in the Manufacturing Industry?
Step 1: Workforce Assessment Needs
Manufacturing companies need to assess the first step in the implementation process, which is to understand the manufacturing company’s employee structure (such as the number of employees, their shift schedule, overtime requirements, and multiple locations).
Employee compliance needs, the labour laws that govern employee compliance, as well as the rules and regulations specified by the employment contract, are key factors that HR departments consider when selecting an attendance management system.
Step 2: Select the appropriate HR Software
To ensure appropriate attendance tracking that is consistent with the manufacturing company’s operations, the manufacturer must select an HR attendance tracking software that can accommodate complex shift patterns and have the capability of integrating payroll software, and provide real-time visibility of employees’ attendance.
The scalability of the attendance software must also be considered, depending on the number of employees and future changes in the operations. Manufacturing companies should select an attendance tracking software that will grow along with the number of employees and can adjust to any future changes in their operations.
Step 3: Integration of Attendance Devices
When installing attendance devices at the manufacturing industry’s entry points and on the shop floors, it is important that attendance devices integrate with each other and provide correct attendance records.
By ensuring that the devices are integrated properly, the manufacturer will be able to capture real-time employees’ attendance, reducing manual errors and increasing the dependability of the attendance records used for payroll and statutory reporting.
Step 4: Set up Shift Schedules & Guidelines
When setting up shift schedules, you should take into account the actual manufacturing schedule, which will include things like night and rotating shifts as well as flexible hours to ensure that your manufacturing facility does not have any issues with employee attendance.
Establishing overtime rules, grace periods and leave policies within the system will help to standardise the tracking of employee attendance, thus providing an equal opportunity for all employees regardless of department.
Step 5: Train your Employees and Human Resources
Training your employees on the correct use of attendance devices and mobile applications will reduce resistance to the change from manual attendance systems to the use of devices and applications, therefore leading to fewer errors during the transition process.
The human resource team needs an in-depth training of the system to enable them to efficiently manage the following: shift rules, attendance exceptions, generating reports and integrating their payroll software with attendance data.
Step 6: Integrate with Payroll Software
The attendance data should be integrated with payroll software to eliminate the need for manual adjustments and ensure salary calculations, overtime payments and any statutory deductions are completed accurately and in a timely manner.
Integrating the attendance system with payroll software reduces payroll processing time, reduces errors and increases employees’ confidence in their salaries and compensation based on their attendance record.
Step 7: Monitor attendance and improve attendance
Regularly monitoring attendance reports will allow for the identification of absenteeism trends, overtime records (employees working more than 40 hrs in 1 week) and gaps in shifts within manufacturing operations.
Using attendance analytics, the HR team can improve policies, improve overall employee planning, and continuously improve attendance efficiency across all factory locations.
Why Savvy HRMS Is the Best Choice?
Savvy HRMS is the highest-rated attendance management system for the manufacturing industries that is particularly built to serve the needs of India’s manufacturing companies. The software can handle complicated schedules and apply overtime rules as well as ensure that all HR activity is compliant with Indian consumer laws.
Savvy HRMS is an entire solution that integrates attendance, payroll software, and leave management systems into one platform and provides users with a complete overview of their HR activities.
With an affordable price point and compliance support, Savvy HRMS provides manufacturing organizations with scalable pricing and the tools and features to ensure compliance and reduce the administrative burden of human resources.
Conclusion
For manufacturing companies looking for ways to better track attendance, improve productivity, increase accuracy, and maintain compliance with laws and regulations, selecting the appropriate attendance management solution can make a large difference in your manufacturing business. One advantage of using the right HR software is its ability to enable you to easily manage your time tracking, payroll processing, and employee planning.
Savvy HRMShas established itself as a trustworthy and inexpensive option for managing attendance for HR Departments in addition to its focus on the manufacturing industry. By using Savvy HRMS, HR Departments will be able to manage attendance easily and efficiently, which promotes long-term growth for manufacturers. Book a free demo of Savvy HRMS to experience the best attendance management system for manufacturing industries with smooth payroll software and leave management system integration.
