BOBST Manchester selects Tensor for high-end Access Control and Clocking System

BOBST is the world's leading supplier of machinery and services to packaging manufacturers in the folding carton, corrugated board and flexible material industries.

Founded in 1890 by Joseph Bobst in Lausanne, Switzerland, BOBST has a presence in more than 50 countries, runs 11 production facilities in 8 countries and employs over 5,000 people around the world.

Mr. Marcus Hodson is the IT Co-ordinator for BOBST's Manchester site, which employs around 100 members of staff. He was actively involved in the process of selecting and installing a Tensor clocking system for the company. Then, he also supervised its gradual upgrade and update, the company now employing latest-generation Tensor access control solutions.

The Tensor system installed at the BOBST Manchester site comprises multiple Tensor T8440 clocking stations and card/key fob scanners, as well as door locks for those areas where general employee access is restricted.

Plus, one of the clocking units, installed in the company's reception area, is also connected to the Fire Alarm Panel and the Fire Roll Call printer, enabling the critical Fire Roll Call functionality provided as a part of the Tensor solutions (which, luckily, were not forced to use up until now).

Mr. Marcus Hodson remembers that both the software and hardware installation processes were not plagued by any major problems. "There weren't any major issues, nothing that would affect our company's overall activity, anyway. One of the clocks had some functionality problems and had to be replaced, but it was really no fuss, and the change was carried out rapidly and efficiently."

Both Mr.Hodson and another colleague were trained on using the Tensor system, and he describes the quality of the process as "very good".

Despite also offering sufficient provisions for Time and Attendance functionality, the Tensor solution is mostly used for "access control purposes", Mr. Hodson revealed.

The system installed at BOBST Manchester is indeed a very complex and comprehensive one, so Mr. Hodson acknowledges the fact that they might not be using it at its full potential. "We're using it as much as we need to, at the moment. Yes, we're sure that there are a lot more things we could have done with it, but simply didn't need to, up until now."

Mr. Hodson is very happy with the Tensor's system overall functionality. "It requires absolutely no maintenance at all, it works quite fine and I don't really have to worry about it", the BOBST IT Co-ordinator revealed.

He also believes that "the system is very easy to use. We haven't come across any major issues for the moment".

When asked how easy are the Tensor Smart Cards to use, Mr. Hodson provided a very detailed answer on the matter. "They're quite easy to use. However, we found that the Tensor fobs are actually even easier to use, and, for us, they work better than the basic smart cards."

Nevertheless, he added that "Registering fobs can be a bit of a fuss at times, especially when the embossed serial number is no longer visible, due to normal wear. Luckily, we don't have to do it too often."

When asked by the Tensor reporter whether they've ever needed to get in touch with the Tensor help desk, Mr. Marcus Hodson's reply was "No, not for a very long time. However, when we did call the Help Desk, everything went very smoothly."

Nevertheless, due to some problems involving a clocking station installed at one of the BOBST sites, Mr. Hodson had to call in the Tensor Operations Department. "The engineers' service was very good. The clocking station works fine now, so no problems there", said Mr. Hodson, when asked to describe the quality of the service delivered by the Operations Team.

Furthermore, when questioned whether there's any way in which Tensor could improve the overall quality of the services it delivers to BOBST, Mr. Hodson's answer was "Everything is fine. I can't really think of anything you could do better, at the moment."

Taking this into account, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that, when asked whether he would recommend Tensor solutions to other companies, Mr. Hodson's answer was a definite "Yes".

Finally, summing up the relationship between BOBST Manchester and Tensor, Mr. Hodson said that "The system works very well on a day-to-day basis, and requires little to no maintenance. We couldn't really ask anything more of it, really."

Customer Information:

BOBST Manchester LTD

Pilsworth Road

Pennine Business Park

OL10 2TL Heywood

United Kingdom

Tel. +44 1706 622 442

Website: https://www.bobst.com/usen/