Time Attendance System for Plastics and Packaging Factories in Kenya: Setup Guide

01Why plastics and packaging factories need a time attendance record

Machines run in shifts, and a missed handover can stop a production line.

• Machine operators work rotating shifts
• Handover gaps cause downtime
• Overtime is common on peak orders

A paper register or a verbal "I was here" cannot settle these. A fingerprint terminal records when each person actually arrives and leaves, and the software turns that into a report payroll can use.

02How attendance works at plastics and packaging factories

Plastics plants often run two or three shifts so that machines keep going. Operators, packers and quality staff rotate, and overtime follows large orders. Admin staff work office hours.

03Where to put the terminal

Put terminals at the factory entrance and, if the plant is large, at the production floor entrance so people do not clock in far from their station.

Count how many people arrive at the same time. If a queue forms at shift change, add a second terminal instead of asking staff to wait. See where to install a ZKTeco K40 Pro and how many employees one terminal can handle.

04Setting it up in ZKBio Time.Net

This is the order we follow when we set up a system for plastics and packaging factories. Each step has its own guide with screenshots.

1. Install the software, then add the terminal over TCP/IP.
2. Create departments or areas that match how you are organised (departments and areas).
3. Add staff one by one or import them from Excel, then enrol their fingerprints.
4. Create Production, Packing, Quality and Admin departments, and set up the shift pattern with its rotation.
5. Press Calculate and check the first day's report before you trust the numbers (Calculate attendance).

05Reports you will actually use

Use the daily report to confirm each machine had its operator, and the overtime report to verify claims.

They all come from the standard reports: daily report, late and early report, and export to Excel for payroll.

06Supply and installation by Qyvea

Qyvea Limited supplies ZKTeco attendance terminals, installs them, configures the software, enrols your staff and trains whoever runs payroll. We work in Nairobi and deliver countrywide. See ZKTeco K40 price in Kenya or message us on WhatsApp for a quote.

07Related guide

A wider guide for this sector: Biometric attendance for factories and manufacturing plants.

08A typical scenario

A packaging plant noticed downtime between shifts on one line. The punch record showed the incoming operator regularly arrived ten minutes after the outgoing operator left, and moving the changeover rule closed the gap.

Illustrative example based on common cases, not a named customer.

09Common mistakes

• Setting the wrong shift pattern for rotating teams.
• Not accounting for handover overlap.
• Forgetting casual packers during peak orders.

10Quick checklist

1. Count staff and entrances before you buy.
2. Write the working hours down as timetables.
3. Enrol everyone, including casual and part-time staff.
4. Run a one-week trial and compare it with your old register.
5. Name one person who owns the reports.

11Frequently asked questions