Biometrics - Case Studies

The access control system includes 71 access control terminals covering 99 entry points

Spar Slovenia is one of the largest employers in Slovenia. Spar's success story began in 1991 when they started with just one retail store; today, there are 63 altogether across Slovenia. Spar has been using Spica's time management and access control system, Time&Space, since 1993.

Centralised time recording

In 2005, Spar introduced SAP business software integrating a number of business applications including payroll calculation and HR administration. Until then, time-related data collected by Time&Space were entered manually into the software used for payroll calculation. The choice of Time&Space was based on the past experience and Spica's competitive prices. At the time of introducing SAP, Spar decided to update their existing Time&Space system. Local Time&Space installations were replaced with the centralised solution that handles more than 98 clock terminals located in Spar, Interspar and Hervis stores across Slovenia. Time&Space collects time-related data which is then processed in SAP.

"Our cooperation with Spica was very good throughout the period of our transition to SAP. Spica invariably ensured superb professional support," explains Subelj.

Time&Space is used for access control in Interspar retail stores, the head office, the IT department and warehouses

The standard configuration in Spar retail stores consists of one clock terminal, while Interspar stores feature 3 to 4 clock terminals. At the central location in Ljubljana there are as many as 37 clock terminals used by the employees working in the head office, warehouses and the bakery.

The advantages of automation

Spar Slovenia uses Time&Space to collect time-data for more than 3,300 employees plus around 300 employees working in Hervis stores. One of the greatest advantages of the new solution is certainly the automation of data transmission: data is exported from Time&Space to the payroll calculation application, which is a part of the SAP system.

Subelj explains how this saves valuable time: "In the past, time-data were entered manually by the managers of individual stores, and this was a two-day procedure. In addition, we had to double-check the balance of hours. This task is now simple, since we have real-time data."

The integration also simplified the calculation of pay bonuses, because Time&Space keeps a separate record of weekend hours and hours resulting from rotating shifts. "Thanks to such options, we do not need to employ more people to handle the ever-expanding scope of work caused by business expansion," says Subelj.

The employees themselves are also better satisfied, because they can now see the accurate data on their work time displayed on the clock terminal screen. Such a clear overview of data is also responsible for a fewer number of complaints.

Spica safeguards Spar's greatest valuables

Time&Space is also used for access control in Interspar retail stores, the head office, the IT department and warehouses. The access control system, which includes 71 access control terminals covering 99 entry points, altogether, is a separate local system. Access control in Spar has been expanded when the new warehouse was opened and 50 new entry points added. In addition to the main entry point, the system controls access requests at delivery points and at various locations within the warehouse. All access requests within the system are monitored from the central location. Spar's favourable experience with time recording and access control led to the implementation of the same solution in Spar's stores in Croatia. The implementation was performed by Spica Sustavi, Zagreb, in cooperation with Spar's experts from Slovenia.