All This Time: Synel Newsletter
by Synel Industries

According the American Payroll Association (From "Trends in Time and Attendance", presented at the 22nd Annual Congress of the American Payroll/ Association, Apr.27, 2004), automating Time and Attendance processes saves an estimated $1000 per employee, per year.

These savings are the result of a reduction in the cost of processing payroll, reduction in human errors in recording time, elimination of unauthorized overtime, and reduction in the time spent on employees' information requests.

In 2003, the average payback time on the cost of implementing an automated Time and Attendance system was 5 months. The median ROI of the system was reported as 469% overall, with 75% of those who automated achieving an ROI of more than 250%.

But the report says even these substantial savings can be increased significantly - by almost 10%, using conservative estimates - by choosing a system that uses biometric data collection terminals. The main reason is that biometric authentication of employees eliminates deliberate time fraud -' through "buddy punching" and other falsified time recording, which alone is estimated to cost employers .025% to as much as 5% of total payroll costs.

Notably, these savings take into account the higher cost of the biometric terminals over standard non-biometric terminals. Despite a slightly higher initial cost of installing biometric units over standard, non-biometric terminals, the ROI is still greater. The report also factors in the savings realized through eliminating the costs associated with time cards required for non-biometric terminals (which include the cost of the card itself and the labour associated with replacing them, versus the labour cost of enrolling employees in a biometric system that requires no card).
With statistics like these, it's easy to see why biometric Time and Attendance systems are becoming the choice of employers focused on efficiency.

A New French subsidiary
 
In November 2004, Synel lndustries UK Ltd has opened a subsidiary in Paris, to cover the T&A and Access Control requirements of the French market.

The new company - Synel France SRL - will market the whole range of Synel systems. Daniel Ferber, the Managing Director of Synel UK, will head this new venture, with the help of Mr. Georges Dru, the former French distributor.
 
The Company has already started a massive marketing campaign targeted at manufacturing, retail and hospitality.

Today there are more that 200 companies already using Synel products in France.

Biometric News
Sy-780/A with 1,000 fingerprint templates

Synel would like to announce the availability of the SY-780/A terminal supporting 1,000 fingerprint identification templates. Synel has a number of SY-780/A models which support fingerprint verification and identification. The table describes the various models and their capabilities.

Technology News
Wireless Solution based on Bluetooth technology

Synel has developed a new wireless communication card based on Bluetooth technology. This card enables communication between the terminal and the computer without the need for cabling infrastructure, which facilitates fast and reliable system installation.

Communication is up to 60 meters inside a building, and up to 100 meters in an open area. The terminal is equipped with a compatible internal card SY-BL TIT. When the terminal operates in this type of communication, no Ethernet card is required.

Synel's terminals which supports Bluetooth communication are the SY-780, and SY-7XX series, and available for sale as of January 2005. Technical characteristics:

• Wireless communication compliant with Bluetooth Specification Ver1.1
• Uses the license free 2.4GHz ISM Band
• Modulation method GFSK, 1 Mbps, 0.5 BT Gaussian
• High sensitivity, supports connections from up to 100 meters (Bluetooth Class 1)
• Supports up to 7 ACL connections and up to 3 SCO connections

Fingerprint on smart card

Synel lndustries is introducing a combined solution to ensure total personal privacy of employees' fingerprint database.

Fingerprint templates are now stored on the smartcard, and verification comparison occurs between the stored fingerprint and the one which is reported on the terminal. This eliminates the need for keeping the fingerprint templates in the organization's database, and eliminates employees' privacy concerns. In addition, the number of users IS unlimited.

The contactless smart card can allow only authorized persons to enter a site via secure, personalized smart cards. The cardholder can enter the parking lot, the office, the secure laboratory, the health club, and even the elevator with one card only, and this card cannot be forged.

Telephone reporting system
 
Reporting is done via the telephone, and instructions for reporting are given in the voice mail. The employee makes a telephone call to a leading number in the organization and is instructed to report employee's number, and the option for "Entry" or "Exit", or other reports according to requirements. The SY-Server collects the reports in real time, and transfers them to the attendance software for analysis of working hours. The SY-Server can operate a DLL for performing checks against the application's database.

The system includes:

• Hardware: PC with modem that supports voice mail with identified call feature
• Software: SY-Server version 6

This system is highly suitable for guards' reports, determining presence or absence of guards in their predetermined points, and alerts the center should a guard fails to report his presence at a certain time.

Synel Events
China Seminar, October 2004

Synel and the China Security & Protection Industry Organization conducted a seminar, which presented Synel as a leading world wide manufacturer and solution provider. The presentation was done before a number of Chinese government personalities, as well as local resellers and integrators.

Number of attendees was over 130, including vice minister for public safety - Mr. Li Runsen, the Israeli commercial attaché to Beijin - Mrs. Iris Tal-Arbel, and the manager of trade and economy in the Israeli embassy in China - Mr. Oded Arbel.

Solutions demonstrated included an access control system with smart card and fingerprint, and a system combining attendance with access control and fingerprint identification.

A number of world wide projects were discussed, including the latest large scale project in one of China's newest prisons in Dalian, North China. This project consists of an access control system with smart cards, which connects to a CCTV system, and to the prison's main control room.
 
Another solution exhibited was keeping fingerprints on smart cards, which eliminates the need for keeping fingerprints in the organization's database, and maintains high employee privacy.
 
Following the seminar Synel participated in China's Annual Security Exhibition. This activity is an extension of a large scale marketing activity done in the Chinese market, both directly and through Synel's distributors in the country.

Customers enjoying Synel’s solutions

Holt and Renfrew & Co. Ltd. - Canada
From its modest beginnings in 1837 as a Quebec City hat shop, Holt Renfrew has become an internationally recognized specialty retail chain, offering fine furs, prestigious brands and the haute couture of innovative designers. The company uses an integrated workforce management solution with Synel 780/A fingerprint terminals in its 9 stores.

Fridays Ltd
Jim Davis, Group Central Purchasing Manager
Leading supplier of fresh food products
"The group comprises some 350 employees spread over several different sites, each with its own set of working rules and employment agreements."
"Monitoring Time & Attendance across the group gave us a number of challenges in the remoteness of some sites, combined with the flexible nature of many of the employees' working arrangements."
"All the employees are using the Synel fingerprint (Biometric) terminals happily."

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) - U.S.A.
Founded in 1938 as a consumer co-op, today REI is a national retailer of quality clothing and outdoor equipment with 70 stores and 6,500 employees across the country.
REI relies upon a centralized, web-based solution along with Synel's SY-780/A terminals to manage its workforce processes, including forecasting, scheduling, time and attendance, employee self-service, and workforce analytics.

Nuance Global Traders - Canada and the USA
Nuance Global Traders (Head office Toronto) is a chain of airport duty free shops in North America. They have about 35
Synel terminals in Canada and the States. They connect via modem and terminals are used for Time and Attendance and department allocation.

Monument Tools
"Monument Tools are using the SY-780 biometric terminals with a barcode reader, reading over 550 different labour operations. The biometric terminals are excellent as no one yet, has forgotten to bring their finger to work! We estimate that we have reduced our old workload from one person working full time on our T&A and Job Costing down to about half an hour per day. With no doubt the system has paid for itself over and over already."