DVD Norden
"With ProMark we are far better able to keep up with events on the factory floor"
DVD Norden: "It was important to analyse the possibilities of the system before making a final decision. Our IT manager carried out the analysis, and once he had seen what was possible with ProMark, he was convinced.”
It takes four seconds to produce a DVD at DVD Norden, but mountains of paper and the complete attention of two payroll accountants to calculate the wages and salaries of the company’s employees.
At least that was the case until January 2005 when the company introduced ProMark to deal with time & attendance and rostering. Since then the system has revolutionized the work of the accounts department. Gone are the piles of paper, to be replaced by an enhanced overview and improved data quality to the benefit of the entire company.
DVD Norden uses the ProTime and ProManagement modules. They have been implemented on 20 of the factory’s workstations. By placing time recording next to the employee we have a flexible and user-friendly system, which has smoothly slotted into the working life of our employees.
The 140 hourly paid workers themselves record when they come and when they leave. Data is transferred directly from ProMark to the company’s Concorde XAL payroll system. Individual employees can at any time during the day print out a list of earned time in lieu, holiday days, etc. This takes a considerable amount of work off the shoulders of the bookkeeping department while providing workers a flexibility which they did not have previously.
Future manning plans are entered in ProManagement, which then calculates the hourly basis for the payroll system.
The close integration between the two systems has done away with hand-written plans and time sheets and the subsequent manual keying into the payroll system. It has improved data quality and considerably reduced time spent on paper work.
Time recording at DVD Norden
“Previously everything was done manually. Employees’ working hours were noted on time sheets, which we then keyed into our Concorde XAL payroll system. We have 140 hourly paid workers, so it was quite a job calculating wages every fortnight. Nor was the risk of making keying errors inconsiderable – and this is a sensitive matter when it comes to wages.
ProMark has enabled us to do away with the piles of paper and has automated payroll calculations. The major benefit is the improved overview at all levels, and therefore the system also has the complete backing of the factory manager, the heads of department and the workers alike," says Amy Andersen, who is Group Finance Manager at DVD Norden.
“ProMark has considerably changed the work of the accounts department.”
Being responsible for the accounts department at DVD Norden, Amy is in extremely close contact with the ProMark system. In the time the system has been in operation, both she and the other employees in the department have seen many improvements: today they have rapid and easy access to all the information we need for calculating wages and salaries; we use less time on keying in and filing papers and now have more time for advising and helping employees.
Fewer errors
“One can definitely say that the path from the employees to us has been shortened and is more transparent. Today we are far better able to keep up with events on the factory floor. When heads of department draw up new future manning plans in ProMark, this is automatically reflected in the payroll system. If employees change shifts, this is also transmitted from ProMark to the payroll system, so we can calculate wages correctly.
Previously we received that kind of information on paper, and managing all the changes required an enormous effort. Which is why it was so easy for errors on payslips to occur,” Amy Andersen explains.
“It seemed obvious to transfer ProMark to the factory here in Sakskøbing, but as all the features of the system had not been used at Brabrand, it was important to analyse the possibilities of the system before making a final decision. Our IT manager carried out the analysis, and once he had seen what was possible with ProMark he was convinced,” says Amy Andersen.
Smooth implementation
ProMark was implemented on the 20 workstations at the factory which were already used by employees in their everyday work of job and order management. ProMark’s time & attendance system has now been added to the computers. There is great satisfaction among production workers that the choice fell on ProMark.
"We don't actually notice the system. It's simply slotted into our working day, and that's the best recommendation you could give. Rather than having special registration terminals at the main entrance, the system is right next to us.
It’s an extremely good system,“ says team leader Alf Skovbo. Yet another advantage is that employees can check how many holiday days and how much time in lieu they are due any time they like. They can print out reports from ProMark with all their personal wage and holiday details, thus avoiding having to pay a visit to accounts to get this information. They now enjoy far greater flexibility than they did previously.
Besides clocking-in and out, employees also key in absences, changes in starting times and the reasons for these in the system. ProMark automatically compares all data with future manning plans and transfers the information to the payroll system where payroll calculations are made.
Random checks
“We have both five shift production and seasonal fluctuations, which are reflected in the work rosters. Using ProMark with just a few keys we can compare employees’ entries with work rosters and calculate wages and holidays extremely accurately. If errors occur all the same, it is enough to make random checks to discover the extent of the error. Previously, we had to examine various ring binders to check whether the error was an isolated occurrence or whether it affected all wage slips,” Amy Andersen explains.
"ProMark has produced so many good results for DVD Norden that we are seriously considering extending the system both with regard to personnel and to functionality. At present, the system only covers the company’s 140 hourly-paid workers, but in the longer term the company’s 75 salaried staff will also be brought under the ProMark umbrella.
We also plan to expand the system with modules for job management and to integrate it with the production planning system. That’s one of the reasons we chose ProMark.
It is an extremely flexible system capable of growing with our needs and being integrated with the systems we already have. I do not hesitate in recommending the system to others;” says Amy Andersen.
About DVD Norden
DVD Norden produces audiovisual media and copies almost 100 million units each year (DVD, CD Audio, CD-Rom and VHS formats). DVD Norden offers other services such as graphic work, professional studio work and complete finished product logistics for its customers. The company is constantly investing new technology in order to sustain and improve its position as an innovative total supplier with the flexibility needed to satisfy customer needs right from the smallest series to millions of units.
DVD Norden is the largest company of its kind in the Nordic region. The company has its head office in Copenhagen and sales offices and production units in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, England and Germany. DVD Norden employs a staff of 470 within sales, customer service, administration and production. 140 hourly paid workers and 75 salaried staff are employed at the factory in Sakskøbing. DVD Norden was launched on the stock exchange in 1998.
Published January 25, 2007
