Running a small manufacturing shop in the United States is not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, in the past few decades, we have seen many operations shut down due to foreign competition and other factors. However, those unfamiliar with the industry might be surprised to learn that there are domestic manufacturers that have not only survived but are booming.
Case Study: Cabinet Shop
Today’s case study looks at a custom cabinet shop geared to the high-end residential market.
First, let’s discuss the history of the business. During the recent recession, the owner started adopting lean manufacturing practices, which he credits for helping his business weather the economic downturn.
Though lean manufacturing processes were initially established for large assembly-line manufacturing facilities, you can apply many of the fundamental principles to companies of any size or industry.
Initially, the owner focused on production. After that, he turned his attention to HR processes. At the time, they were using paper timesheets, an old school time clock, and an archaic scheduling processes. Needless to say, they were cumbersome and inefficient. Because of this, he started looking for solutions.
His goal was to apply lean manufacturing principles to people processes.
Specifically, he wanted to:
Eliminate redundancy through automation
Reduce time devoted to non-billable processes
Leverage data to continually increase profitability
Improve document management
Solution: WorkforceHub
Although WorkforceHub handles almost all HR processes, in this article we will focus on the timekeeping and scheduling modules.
TimeWorksPlus is the industry-leading timekeeping solution in WorkforceHub and is ideal for small manufacturing employee timekeeping. Now, let’s look at how the solution capably fulfilled each of his primary objectives.
Eliminate Redundancy
Before WorkforceHub, each employee would fill out a timecard, then a supervisor would approve it. Following that, the payroll manager manually entered the data into the payroll system.
In other words, three different people touched each timecard each payroll period!
It’s key to understand that TimeWorksPlus syncs with the TimeWorks Touch time clock (and other Swipeclock time clock hardware). After the cabinet shop got TimeWorksPlus, onsite employees started clocking in with TimeWorks Touch. At the same time, when picking up materials, out on a bid, or at a job site, employees clocked in with their smartphone or work tablet to the same integrated system.
TimeWorksPlus captures timecard data and stores it in real time. Employees and managers can now access it in a variety of different formats. This boosted efficiency tremendously. Managers could now approve timecards at a glance, for instance. In addition, employees can see their pay stubs, work schedule and PTO accruals in the system.
Minimize Time Devoted to Non-billable Processes
Prior to implementation, Workforce Management took most of the HR team’s time and a significant amount of time for supervisors and employees as well. Now that employees manage their own electronic timesheets and hours are imported directly into the payroll system, the HR team has time to help with sales and billing. And the owner has determined that even if the business triples in size, he won’t need to hire more HR staff.
Before WorkforceHub, the managers had been using Excel spreadsheets to develop employee schedules. TimeSimplicity has customizable templates and drag-and-drop functions that allow managers to create team schedules in minutes.
Leverage Data to Boost Profitability
TimeSimplicity enables the owner and management team to analyze and adjust worker schedules to improve employee productivity. Overtime alerts and schedule enforcement have lowered labor costs and boosted the bottom line.
Improve Document Management
Manually capturing, storing, and accessing HR data was unbelievably inefficient before the implementation of WorkforceHub. Employee time and attendance, schedules, time cards, PTO tracking, payroll processing, and compliance reporting ate more than twenty hours a week for the two-person HR team. Now, there are no more error-prone paper time cards to enter into the payroll platform, no tedious accruals tracking, and audit-ready records protect against any DOL action.
What can WorkforceHub do for your business? Call today for a demo.
UPGRADE TODAY
Swipeclock offers WorkforceHub, the powerful, fully-integrated WorkforceHub that makes it easy to optimize the performance of your supervisors, employees, and organization.
WorkforceHub includes TimeWorksPlus, TimeSimplicity, and TimeWorks Mobile. WorkforceHub is developed for busy employers like you who need to streamline scheduling, automate time and attendance tracking, maintain regulatory compliance, and lessen labor costs.
We can get you up and running with WorkforceHub immediately. Contact us today to request a demo.
Home Health Agency Case Study Home healthcare agencies have considerable growth opportunities in today’s market. However, with thin margins, growth requires good management. This case study explains how WorkforceHub helped a 30-employee for-profit home health agency improve their labor processes. As a result, they improved both their CMS rating and employee morale. Labor Management Challenges […]
Have your clients integrated payroll and time and attendance? It’s easy and makes things a whole lot easier for employees, managers, and HR team. Today’s post is for your clients that have separate payroll and employee time and attendance systems. What’s the problem with separate payroll and time and attendance systems? If your systems are […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE South Jordan, Utah – November 20, 2025 Users can easily identify and maximize tax credits using AI-driven analytics. Swipeclock is proud to announce a new partnership with Canary, a powerful platform that combines AI-powered analytics and tax credit automation. Hiring can become more efficient and profitable when users combine the functionality of […]
Swipeclock Summit 2025 was our most well-attended event yet, with more than 760 registrations. The packed lineup focused on the features and services available to Swipeclock Partners, along with a keynote address from John Volanthen, who shared an inspirational message about never giving up. The virtual conference also provided a look at what’s ahead on […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE South Jordan, Utah – October 8, 2025 The new integration removes manual file-based imports to streamline payroll and accruals. Swipeclock is proud to announce a new integration between WorkforceHub, the next-generation time and labor platform, and Apex. Users of the Apex payroll platform can take advantage of the integration to improve efficiency […]
As an accountant, payroll provider, or PEO, you’ve likely built your business on helping clients control expenses, improve compliance, and run more efficiently. But here’s a critical question: Are you overlooking the hidden costs your clients face when you don’t offer workforce management solutions? Workforce management (WFM) tools—like scheduling, time and attendance tracking, and employee […]
You’ve probably heard the pitch before: Employee self-service (ESS) features can “transform” your clients’ businesses and deliver “game-changing” results. But when you’re sitting across from a potential client trying to explain why they need Swipeclock solutions (with self-service capabilities), you need more than buzzwords. You need real numbers. Let’s cut through the chatter and look […]
As a PEO or payroll provider, you’ve likely heard every excuse in the book from clients who resist adopting digital timekeeping solutions. They don’t have enough employees. They’re worried about insulting their team. They’re too busy to think about “one more system.” Sound familiar? Here’s what you need to know: An affordable time clock app […]
Why PEOs and Payroll Providers Need to Lead with Innovation Workforce management is evolving rapidly. Technological advancements are reshaping the industry and transforming how employers manage their teams. Professional employer organizations (PEOs) and payroll providers face unique challenges in staying competitive and relevant in this fast-moving landscape. Explore the future of workforce management and how […]
The cost of labor tends to be one of the most significant line items in a business budget. When your clients need to cut costs, they may start looking at laying off members of the team. And while this is one way to trim the budget, it’s certainly not the only option. Check out our […]
Client retention is the lifeblood of any service-based business. For payroll professionals, accountants, and PEOs, keeping clients happy means more than just processing payroll accurately—it means becoming an indispensable partner in their success. Workforce management solutions have emerged as a game-changer for professionals who want to deliver exceptional value to their clients. These tools go […]
Employee scheduling is one of the trickiest tasks for any business to manage. Scheduled the same person twice for overlapping shifts at different locations? Missed a request for vacation time? These issues can wreak havoc, leading to frustrated managers, unhappy employees, and even compliance risks. As a payroll service provider, you’re in a unique position […]
