By the SightShield team · · 3 min read
Why factories are different
Office attendance is simple: people come in the morning and leave in the evening. Factories run rotating shifts, night shifts that cross midnight, overtime, weekly offs that differ by department, and large contract workforces. Workers’ hands are often worn, oily or dusty. An attendance system that works well in an office can fail badly on a shop floor — mostly because of the software rules and the choice of terminal.
Terminals for the shop floor
- Face recognition first: no contact, unaffected by worn or dirty fingers, and fast at shift change when hundreds of people pass in minutes.
- Enough terminals: plan for the peak — a shift change of 200 people through one terminal creates a queue.
- Placement: at the gate or locker area every worker passes, sheltered from direct sun and rain.
- Weatherproof housings for outdoor gates; dust-resistant models for dusty units.
- Power backup so punches are not lost during outages.
Software rules that matter
| Requirement | What to check |
|---|---|
| Rotating shifts | Automatic shift detection or rosters by employee or group |
| Night shifts | Shifts that cross midnight are counted as one working day |
| Overtime | Rules for OT after shift hours, weekly limits and approval |
| Late and early | Grace periods, half-day rules |
| Weekly offs and holidays | Different by department or location |
| Contract labour | Separate groups per contractor with their own reports |
| Payroll | Export in the format your payroll or HR software needs |
| Multiple gates and units | Central software combining all terminals |
Rotating and night shifts
Rotating shifts are where simple attendance software breaks down. A worker on night shift who punches in at 10 pm and out at 6 am must be counted on one working day, not split across two. Good factory software lets HR assign rotation patterns, defines overnight shifts properly, and automatically picks the nearest shift when a worker punches at an unexpected time. Test these rules with real punch data before relying on them for payroll.
Attendance Systems for Hospitals and Clinics →Turnstiles and gate flow
- Plan the number of turnstiles and terminals for the shift-change peak.
- Separate entry and exit lanes to avoid congestion.
- Face terminals mounted on the turnstile for a single-step pass.
- An emergency free-exit mode linked to the fire alarm.
- A camera above each lane for disputes.
Contract labour
Enrol every contract worker individually, grouped by contractor. Reports by contractor let you verify invoices against actual attendance — one of the fastest ways an attendance system pays for itself. Remove workers promptly when they leave so their enrolment cannot be misused.
Records and compliance
Factories are expected to maintain attendance and working-hours records for their workforce. A digital system makes those records accurate and easy to retrieve. Check with your HR or compliance advisor which reports and retention periods apply to your unit.
Linking with security
The same face terminals can control turnstiles or doors, so only enrolled workers enter the production area. A camera above each terminal gives a visual record of every punch. This combination is common in Peenya, Bommasandra and other industrial areas where units manage hundreds of workers across shifts.
Attendance systems for factories →Quick answers
Which attendance machine is best for factory workers?+
Face-recognition terminals usually work best, because worn or dirty fingerprints cause frequent failures on fingerprint machines.
How many attendance terminals does a factory need?+
Enough to handle the peak at shift change without queues — often one terminal per 100–150 people passing at the same time, plus one per separate entrance.
Can the system handle night shifts?+
Good attendance software counts shifts that cross midnight as one working day. Check this before you buy.
Can the system enforce minimum rest between shifts?+
Many systems can flag or prevent shift assignments that do not allow the minimum rest your policy requires.
Can workers punch at the canteen too?+
Yes. A canteen terminal on the same platform records meals using the same enrolment.