News

Protesters are about to be evicted from areas surrounding the building of an Olympic training venue. People are objecting to the east London Olympic development since they say no proper analysis of its environmental impact was made. Attempts to oppose the possession order during an hour-long hearing were frustrated because no-one was willing to be named as residing at the camp. Therefore they could not legally be considered defendants and could not be allowed to oppose the making of the order. If your firm is having problems with trespassers at your site then Tensor can help with its gates, barriers, and turnstiles. Tensor access control barriers are the number one solution for controlling vehicle access to your site's car park and road entry points. As well as an effective method of security, car park barriers are a way of monitoring the amount of vehicles travelling through any given access point. Optional extras include: a folding arm mechanism, impact release mechanism, and hanging racks or barrier skirts.  

Yahoo is to cut 2,000 staff, the company announced today (Wednesday). The internet giant said the redundancies were part of efforts to make it “smaller, nimbler, more profitable”. The company expects its cost-cutting programme to save £236m a year. Severance pay is expected to amount to one-third of its annual savings, although this is a one-off figure. The affected employees will be notified later today. It is the struggling web firm’s sixth round of redundancies in the last four years. Tensor plc are acknowledged as class-leading suppliers of efficient Time & Attendance systems and products. Contactless key fobs as well as smart cards are used to operate your Time and Attendance system. The fobs operate using well-proven Radio Frequency technology. An inbuilt aerial made from copper and iron is embedded into your key fob, allowing it to be scanned by your office system. Fobs can be supplied in a grey plastic shell made from implant quality glass, similar to those used in the identification of pets.  

In a new twist to the strike saga, the UK is threatened with gridlock after the possibility of thousands of lorry drivers blocking roads and refineries in support of striking tanker drivers was raised. The Fuel Lobby is backing tanker drivers should the unions take Easter industrial action over health and safety issues. Andrew Spence, leader of the Fuel Lobby, took part in the blockades of 2000 and said: “We are better organised than we were in 2000. This time we will bring the Government down.” Tensor can set up a complete Smart Card Time and Attendance system at a business which manages time and attendance recording. Comprehensive user-definable working patterns plus individual and group Absence Planners are just some of the features. Managers can choose to view all types of absences, a single absence type or all types with a common category. Absence categories and types are fully user-definable. Up to nine reason codes for absences can also be stored in the clocking station.  

Scrap metal dealers across the land have been asked to sign up to a new scheme which cracks down on crime. Under the Responsible Scrap Metal Dealer Scheme, dealers will make it easier for police to trace sellers of stolen metal but it will not interfere with those who operate legitimately. Dealers commit to complying with regulations and keep accurate records. In return police will visit scrap metal dealers on a regular basis and keep them informed of crime trends. The Tensor T3511 Low Cost 1 Scanner Controller combines with the latest .NET PC based Access Control software to monitor and control access at all entry and exit points at your premises. Any standard burglar alarm can be connected directly to the T3511 so an audible and/or visual alert is immediately triggered from a forced entry. The versatile T3511 can use passive infrared sensors (PIR’s) and the WinACnet software to create a register of date and time stamped movement transactions recorded by the PC.  

Fuel tanker drivers will not go on strike over Easter, according to reports. Motorists were seen at the nation’s petrol stations ‘panic buying’ after being advised by the government to top up their tanks. Queues formed at many forecourts yesterday (Thursday) as demand for fuel rose. Conciliation concern Acas says it hopes talks between employers and unions will happen shortly after Monday. Analysts say this makes Easter strikes unlikely because the unions have to give seven days' notice. If your firm finds it tough to keep track of those people enrolled for work on a given day, then the Time and Attendance or Absenteeism and Lateness reporting functions in a Tensor clocking system will prove invaluable. As absence is booked and taken by staff members, the available remainder for each entitlement is updated by the WinTA software. Entitlement formulae are used to calculate more complex entitlements that work on a rising scale based upon length of service. Late employee warnings are conveyed by email, hardcopy reports and more.  

A landmark attacked by metal thieves is to receive nearly a half-a-million pounds makeover. The restoration at the West Midlands war memorial Barr Beacon will take three years following the cash injection. The memorial has been affected several times by thieves stripping copper from its roof, and it has been awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The HLF said the restoration aims to reinstate the site “as a shining beacon of community pride”. It is becoming increasingly difficult for companies and organisations to secure outdoor locations considering the spate of metal thefts. Tensor has many barrier access control devices to fill this need. We offer complete metal fencing solutions that offer the security of modern steel with seamless design, coupled with the looks of traditional iron railings. Increasingly seen by owner and insurance company alike as a high quality cost effective solution to obtain a secure perimeter, the palisade metal fencing has a proven record in reducing crime and vandalism.

The jail service is appealing to breeders to double the numbers of sniffer dogs. Officers train the dogs to sniff out banned materials, whether they are drugs or mobile phones, and the Scottish Prison Service is now asking Labrador and Spaniel breeders to nominate their pups. It is likely the number of dogs required will go up from 12 to 28. When it is time to retire the usual practice is for the dogs to become family pets. Tensor can improve security in prisons via Prison Pass monitoring. This is a low cost, easy to install, computer based pass system for registering each visitor, both on and off site. It allows HM Prison Service Officers to quickly check the identity and monitor the movements of visitors. Running on a PC using your Windows™ operating system, Prison Pass allows the pre-booking of legal representatives, contractors and inmate visitors with maximum speed and minimum fuss. Data can be stored for future reference or exported to other compatible databases.  

It is common knowledge the likes of doctors and lawyers are paid well – but where are the best-paying places in the UK? Hours and Earnings figures from the Office of National Statistics demonstrate that the cities with the biggest salaries are in this order: London, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Derby, Stirling, Oxford and Cambridge. The performances of ‘Oxbridge’ are based on their wealth of knowledge-based industries. Similarly, Stirling’s earning power is stimulated in part by its university. Payroll and Time and Attendance expertise is provided by Tensor. A major requirement of any factory or office Time & Attendance system is the ability to export information to the payroll system. Tensor is the leader in this field and has worked with all of the major payroll packages. Our software has many configuration options to extract payroll information in exactly the correct format. It can share or receive information from third party applications by using readily available interface modules. Data transfers can occur either on demand or more usually as an automated process.  

A cathedral has been forced to install security equipment after it was targeted three times in a year by metal thieves. The Roman Catholic cathedral in Norwich has put up a camera monitoring system because it has had lead valued at £20,000 stolen from the building. Recently piping has been stolen as well as lead from the roof of the cathedral’s Narthex centre. A spokesman for the spiritual centre said the thefts had caused complications with insurance. Come to Tensor for the ultimate in Access Control security. The Smart Card scanner settings for building access points determine the locked status of doors, minute-by-minute, 24 hours a day throughout the year. The T34xx Smart Card scanner with fingerprint reader combines the latest generation of Tensor’s Smart Card electronics with a fingerprint reader. Automatic fault reporting via the Internet is just one feature. The unit can be directly connected via a peer to peer cable connection, or be part of a network using your existing Ethernet IT backbone.  

The nights are drawing out and Daylight Saving Time starts at 1am on Sunday, March 25, 2012. Therefore it is time to change the BST or GMT times on all clocks – don’t forget to do this at work as well before the weekend starts! Tensor customers are reminded to please check your WinTA Lite, WinTA Enterprise, WinTA Access Enterprise, WinTA 16, WinTA CS or Tensor.NET systems to make sure that this information is correctly entered, as this will affect the time shown on your Smart Card Clocking Stations. It is pretty simple to alter the BST/GMT times although there is a slightly different method on Tensor.NET systems. Remember, the Tensor Helpdesk is available for those who require personal advice. Please phone on 01480 211594, fax on 01480 213734 or email at helpdesk@tensor.co.uk. Helpdesk support is free to customers with current maintenance contracts or those whose systems are still under warranty. Our WinTAnet multi lingual system is linked to the regional settings of your PC. In this way ‘local’ formats are used when displaying currency, dates and times.  

  HeatingSave joined more than 1,500 exhibitors at Ecobuild 2012; the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment. This was held at the ExCel Exhibition Centre in London’s Docklands from Tuesday 20th March 2012 to Thursday 22nd March 2012. Ecobuild, the UK’s largest construction event of any kind, hosted a free conference that discussed issues such as how to keep the building industry profitable and remain committed to a low carbon built environment. There were also dozens of attractions and live demonstrations; more than 130 free seminars by renowned speakers on matters such as recycling energy, improving the energy efficiency of buildings and solar panels; and new products on display. HeatingSave were demonstrating their latest internet based software solution, new wireless HeatingSave Controller and a new touch-screen energy monitor. HeatingSave’s Managing Director, Nigel Smith said: “HeatingSave is at the forefront of building energy efficiency technology as it uses occupancy detection, heat loss profiling and advanced PC and web-based control. HeatingSave is proud to be exhibiting at Ecobuild.” HeatingSave’s revolutionary, low-cost Building Energy Management System typically saves 20% to 30%-plus off the energy used to heat or cool your premises. Our controller – which replaces the central heating time-clock – houses a heat loss algorithm that learns and constantly refines the heat loss profile of your property, so that it uses the least amount of energy. More information on the event can be found at www.ecobuild.co.uk HeatingSave – Low-cost Building Energy Management System

Police have a beef with thieves after a herd of 14 cows were stolen from a farm near Reading. The criminals broke into the premises in west Berkshire then loaded the cows into a vehicle before driving off with them, officers have reported. The cattle theft took place at some period between March 4 and March 8. Rural spots are often very vulnerable to crime, so the best way to safeguard an out of the way site or premises is to install a Tensor security system. Digital CCTV is an option, and one that is increasingly affordable to all sizes of business. Bullet cameras are cameras mounted in a cylindrical or ‘bullet’ casing. This makes them easy to install when pointing them in the right direction, and keeps the case compact. The cameras’ compact size and inbuilt lens make them ideal for situations where space and price are key factors. Tensor uses a range of top manufacturers’ cameras to customise your CCTV security system to your requirements.