making two classes of records. One type records the time of one employe
on a single card or sheet; the other makes a record of the time of
several employes on the same sheet. For recording the total time of
employes, both types are used, and certain advantages are claimed for
each.
[Illustration: Fig. 5. Rochester Time Recorder, Manufactured by
International Time Recording Co.]
The records of the first type, most generally used, have a card for
each employe on which a record is made of his time for an entire week
or pay period. In operation, this system is very simple.
At each side of the clock is a card rack, as shown in Fig. 5. One of
these is an "out" rack, the other an "in" rack. At the beginning of
each week or pay period, cards are placed in the numbered pockets of
the out rack, which is nearest the entrance──one card for each man.
These cards bear the numbers or names of the men, or both if desired.
When the employe enters, he takes his card from the out rack, places it
in the slot of the clock, makes an exact record of the time of arrival
by moving a lever, and places the card in the proper numbered pocket
in the in rack. When he leaves, the operation is repeated, this time
the card being deposited in the out rack. In the meantime the recording
device in the clock has been shifted so that it records the leaving
time in the proper column on the card.
The form of record made by one of the best known clocks of this type is
shown in Fig. 6. It will be noted that the recording device prints the
letter representing the day of the week in front of each record──out
or in. Another feature is the dash under the afternoon registrations;
a glance shows whether the registration was made at, for instance, 6
o'clock in the morning or afternoon.
[Illustration: Fig. 6. Weekly Time Pay Card Used in the Rochester
Recorder]
This form requires an exceptionally small number of entries to figure
the time for the week. In the outside column, at the right, is entered
the time lost or the overtime for each day. At the end of the week,
the net total of this column is added to or subtracted from the total
hours representing a full week, which gives the total number of hours
actually worked.
Clocks of the second type record the time of several employes on one
sheet, the record being made for one day, or for any number of days up
to a week. Like the card machine, the record shows the in and out time,
both forenoon and afternoon.
A recorder of this type is illustrated by Fig. 7. To register the time
of arrival or departure, the employe places a key, bearing his number,
in the clock, and gives it one turn. A bell rings, indicating that the
hour and minute of the day have been printed on the record inside the
register.
[Illustration: Fig. 7. The Bundy Time Recorder, Manufactured by
International Time Recorder Co.]
The form of record made by machines of this type is shown in Fig. 8.
The records of all employes appear in numerical order on one sheet,
with the various _ins_ and _outs_ in their proper columns. The record
is inside the clock, under lock and key, and when removed can be used
as a pay─roll sheet.
The fact that the complete record is on one sheet, is one of the
advantages claimed for this type of recorders. On the other hand, an
advantage is claimed for the card machine in the fact that the cards
can be used for other purposes, such as for cost records.
[Illustration: Fig. 8. Weekly Time Record as Made by the Dey Time
Register]
[Illustration: Fig. 9. Work Order with Time and Material Records]
PRODUCTION TIME RECORDS
=10.= All records of time on individual jobs or operations may be
termed _production time records_, since the ultimate object of
keeping such records is to determine the cost of production. To the
manufacturer, these records are fully as important as those showing the
total time worked by each employe. Without such records, a satisfactory
cost system is impossible.
When the importance of obtaining costs of production──knowing what it
costs to manufacture a given article──began to receive consideration,
systems for recording the time spent by the worker on each job were
attempted. There being no other method available, the records were
at first made on cards or slips by the employes themselves. In all
essential features the same system is still largely used; nearly all
cost systems require that the employe keep a record of the time worked
on each job.
[Illustration: Fig. 10. Daily Record of the Time of One Man]
=11. Time Record on Work Orders.= One method of keeping time on
individual jobs is to make the record on the work order. When a job is
assigned to a workman, a written order is issued to him. This order,
Fig. 9, instructs him to do certain work and gives him authority to
draw the necessary material, provided the material is not issued with
the order. He is instructed to report his time on the order, and
sometimes to report the material used.
This form can be used successfully only when one man does the entire
job. It is used principally for repair jobs.
=12. Daily Time Card.= One of the methods of obtaining production time
records is to use daily time cards. Each employe is supplied with
cards, similar in form to Fig. 10, on which he is expected to record
his time for an entire day.
[Illustration: Fig. 11. Daily Time Card for Machine Operations]
At the top, the card bears the name and number of the employe, and
the date. Below the heading, a form is arranged for a record of the
order numbers on which he is employed, a description of the work
done (usually the name of the operation), the time of starting and
finishing, and total time worked on each job.
In some classes of operations it is necessary, if accurate cost records
are to be obtained, to keep a record of performance of the machine,
as well as of the man. A form for a record of this kind, covering the
operation for a day, is illustrated by Fig. 11. This form includes the
number of the machine and a record of the number of pieces produced.
Such a record is used for machine operations when a large number of
similar pieces are operated on by a single machine. The time record is
made when one order number is finished and a new one started. The form
shown provides for an extension of rates and amounts, the extensions
being made in the cost department.
[Illustration: Fig. 12. Coupon Time Card for a Day's Operations]
Fig. 12 is a card for recording a day's operations, arranged on
somewhat different lines. This card is a series of perforated coupons,
one for each job on which the employe works. When a job is finished,
the record is made, the coupon detached and turned in. At the close
of the day the top of the card, with all unused coupons attached, is
turned in.
All of these forms for recording the time of an employe for an
entire day are handed to the foreman, who turns them in to the cost
department. Here, the time cards are compared with the clock records to
find if all of the time for which an employe is paid has been accounted
for. The time records for individual jobs are then transferred to the
cost records. For the latter purpose, the coupons can be distributed
by order numbers. This makes it convenient to retain all time coupons
until the job is finished, when the amounts can be transferred to the
cost records with a considerable saving of labor in the cost department.
There is one serious objection to any form of time card designed
for a day's record. Too much depends upon the accuracy and clerical
ability of the employe. The average factory or shop operative has had
no experience in keeping records. He does not appreciate the importance
of the time records he is expected to keep, and, naturally, becomes
careless. Knowing that a record is expected, his card will show full
time, but the distribution of that time to separate jobs is not
accurate. Frequently, he waits until the close of the day and makes
as close a guess as possible as to the time worked on each job. His
failure to keep accurate records is not due to unwillingness, but to
his lack of training in such work.
[Illustration: Fig. 13. Job Card with Time Chart]
Exceptions are found, as a matter of course, and in some industries the
general character of the operatives employed is such as to practically
insure intelligent record keeping. As a rule, however, it is unwise to
expect the factory employe to keep accurate records.
=13. Job Time Cards.= A method of time keeping which is an advance over
the daily time card, is the use of a separate card for each job. With
this method, accuracy of the records can be practically insured and the
employe relieved of much of the clerical labor.
To attain satisfactory results, it is necessary to operate this system
along somewhat different lines than that described for the daily time
card system. Instead of issuing cards for the entire day, the workman
should be given a new card with each new job on which he works, and
not until he has completed the job last worked on. The time must be
recorded and the card turned in to the foreman on completion of each
job.
It is the duty of the foreman to keep his men supplied with work, and
to have at all times a job ahead. The workmen, knowing that a record of
his time on each job is kept and compared with the clock record, will
naturally insist on having a new job card when each old one is turned
in. If no job is ready, it will be necessary for the foreman to issue
an _idle_ or _non─productive_ card──a condition which he will strive
to avoid──all such time becoming a direct expense charge against his
department.
[Illustration: Fig. 14. Job Card Showing Names of Operations]
To relieve the employe of clerical labor, a card, similar in form to
Fig. 13, is used with quite satisfactory results. The special feature
of this card is the provision made for obtaining a record of time.
Below the heading there is a form representing the time of day, each
hour being divided into ten minute periods, and the whole divided
between forenoon and afternoon.
When a new job is started, the workman makes the record by checking
the time in the proper space. On completion of the job, he makes a
similar check mark in the space that indicates the finishing time. The
exact time is computed in the cost department. To illustrate: Suppose
a job is started at 7 A. M. and is done in 6½ hours. The time will
be checked at 7 A. M. and again, if an hour is allowed for lunch, at
2:30 P. M. This really shows 7½ hours elapsed time, but in the cost
department, the lunch hour will be allowed for, and the computed time
will be correct.
Another form of job card, intended for use where jobs require more than
one day, is shown in Fig. 14. With this card, it is intended that the
starting and finishing time shall be entered in the ordinary way, and
the name of the operation checked.
[Illustration: Fig. 15. Day Time Register for Production Time Records,
Manufactured by International Time Recording Co.]
=14. Mechanical Time Recorders.= For the same reasons that they
are best for making records of total time, for pay─roll purposes,
mechanical time recorders are best for obtaining production time
records. Whether the responsibility of making the record rests on the
workman or a clerk, it is always better to have the actual recording
done automatically whenever it is possible to do so.
While the time recorders used for keeping total time are also used
for obtaining production time records, there are certain advantages
in using recorders of slightly different types. Manufacturers have
made great progress and are now supplying machines which answer every
requirement.
One type of recorder designed for production time records is shown in
Fig. 15. This outfit includes, in addition to the recorder, a rack
for jobs ahead and jobs started, a rack for finished jobs, and a
distribution rack. The first rack contains pockets of the right size to
hold time cards or tickets. These pockets are numbered to correspond
with the men's numbers, two pockets being provided for each man, one
for jobs ahead and one for jobs started. The rack for finished jobs is
divided into compartments bearing the men's numbers, with slots through
which the cards are inserted. The distribution rack is divided into
compartments numbered for the different jobs.
[Illustration: Fig. 16. Individual Job Card Used with the Day Time
Register]
The recorder and card racks are placed near the foreman's desk, which
should be at a central point in the department. The foreman prepares
cards for the different employes and places a card for the next job in
the _jobs ahead_ pocket. The workman, when starting to work, takes the
card for the next job, records the starting time, and places the card
in the _jobs started_ pocket. When the job is finished he again records
the time, on the same card, and places the card in the compartment
bearing his number in the _finished jobs_ rack. At night, if he has an
unfinished job, he records the time, the same as for a finished job,
and either turns in the card to the foreman or places it in a box kept
for suspended jobs. The foreman then makes out new cards and places
them in the _jobs ahead_ rack, while the suspended card is placed in
the _finished jobs_ rack.
Every morning all cards of the previous day are taken from the
_finished jobs_ rack, the time recorded on each man's cards is
computed and compared with the record of the total time recorder, and
the cards distributed by job numbers in the distribution rack. This
checks the job time with the pay─roll time, and permits of leaving
the cards in the distribution rack until the entire job is finished.
The cards are then taken to the cost department and the time records
distributed on the cost sheet.
[Illustration: Fig. 17. Job Time Sheet Used with the Day Time Register]
One form of card used with this type of recorder is shown in Fig. 16.
One card is used for each job on which a man works. It will be noted
that the time is recorded in decimals. Instead of the usual 12 hours,
the recording wheel is divided into 24─hour periods, or if desired,
into 23 hours, automatically eliminating the noon hour. The 23─hour
wheel prints 12 at noon and again at one o'clock, 13 at two o'clock,
etc. At 3:30 P. M., for instance, the clock would record 14.50, meaning
14½ hours. On the card illustrated, the record shows the job to have
been started at 8.08 and finished at 11.40, the elapsed time being 3.32
hours.
[Illustration: Fig. 18. The Calculagraph, Manufactured by the
Calculagraph Company]
A clock of similar type accommodates a sheet of any size, and provides
for as many separate time records on the same sheet as may be desired.
A sheet may record the time of a single employe for an entire day and
show the exact time worked on each job. Or, in some industries, the
card may be made for a job and arranged to accumulate the time of all
employes working on the job. Fig. 17 shows how several time sheets of
this class can be bound together, making a daily time and pay sheet
for each employe. From this sheet the time is distributed to the cost
sheets.
Still another type of time recorder, which offers certain distinct
advantages, is shown in Fig. 18. This machine is used to obtain a time
record for each employe on each separate job or operation.
The distinctive feature of this machine is that it records the elapsed
time. When a man commences work on a new job, he places his card in the
machine and by moving a lever registers the starting time. When the job
is finished, he again places the card in the machine, this time moving
a second lever, and registers the exact time that he has worked on the
job. The advantage is apparent. With an ordinary time stamp printing
the starting and finishing time, it is necessary for a clerk to
mentally compute the elapsed time. With this machine the elapsed time
is mechanically computed and printed, saving the time of the clerks and
doing away with all possibility of clerical errors.
[Illustration: THE MECHANICAL DRAFTING DEPARTMENT AT THE PLANT OF THE
GREEN FUEL ECONOMIZER COMPANY, MATTEAWAN, N. Y.]
Fig. 19 illustrates the form of record made by this machine. The record
shows that workman No. 38 commenced work on job No. 530 at 9:45 A. M.,
that he was employed on this job 2─8/10 hours, and that the operation
was milling.
[Illustration: Fig. 19. Time Record Made by the Calculagraph]
The machine is made to register either hours and minutes, or hours and
tenths of hours. For cost─keeping purposes the latter is preferred for
the reason that it is much easier to figure time at a given rate in
tenths.
A form of card, without the record, is shown in Fig. 20. The card can
be of any size desired, the only requirement being a blank space for
the time record in the upper left─hand corner.
As with other recorders, one of these machines should be located at a
central point in each department. It is advisable to provide a card
rack with compartments bearing the employe's numbers, and to place
cards for jobs ahead in these compartments. The cards for the day are
first sorted by employe's numbers to verify the clock record, and then
by job numbers for the use of the cost department.
[Illustration: Fig. 20. Time Card Used with the Calculagraph]
Another elapsed time recorder, which was placed on the market after the
above was put in type, but before this book went to press, is shown in
Fig. 21, the form of record being shown in Fig. 22.
The device is operated electrically, the impulses being furnished by a
master clock. This may be located anywhere in the building, preferably
in the office, as it will be less affected by vibration and dust. To
the master clock is also fitted the 24─hour elimination or cut─out
wheel described later. This clock transmits electric impulses each
minute all through the building to the various elapsed time mechanisms.
Thus all the machines are exactly the same time and cards may be
registered in on one machine and out on any other and correct results
obtained.
[Illustration: Fig. 21. Elapsed Time Recorder with Master Clock.
Manufactured by International Time Recording Co.]
The mechanism is about nine inches square and is enclosed in a dust
proof iron case. It may be placed on a work bench, on a pedestal, or
it may be sunk flush with the top of the bench or desk. The flat cover
has two openings or slots for the insertion of the cards. One opening
is marked "in" for the first record of a job, the other "out" for
registering when the job is completed. There is also an aperture in the
cover through which may be seen a series of indicating wheels showing
exactly the time of day. There is only one handle to be operated and,
therefore, no confusion can occur in the mind of the operator as to
which handle to pull.
[Illustration: Fig. 22. Time Card Used with the International Elapsed
Time Recorder]
The cards used in the machine may be of any length desired but can only
be of one width, 4¼ inches. In registering in, the card is placed in
the front or starting slot, and the lever pulled over. This prints the
starting time at the top of the card in the space to the left. At the
same time four small holes are punched in the card which individualize
the record. After a job is completed the card is placed in the rear or
stopping slot, the lever pulled over once more, and the stopping time
and actual elapsed time are both printed on the card by one pull of the
handle, thus enabling anyone to compare the two records and prove the
accuracy of the machine for every record.
One of the salient features connected with this device is its ability
to compute only the actual time worked in the factory irrespective of
the times of registration. That is to say, in a factory working ten
hours a day from seven to twelve and one to six the elapsed time will
only be computed during these hours. Any registrations made before
seven o'clock will not begin to count elapsed time until that hour,
and the computation of elapsed time automatically stops at noon to
be resumed at exactly one o'clock, and then continues until quitting
time at night, when again it stops automatically. The clock movement,
however, does not stop, but always shows the correct time exactly the
same as the master clock, and is entirely unaffected by the elimination
of the non─working hours in figuring the elapsed time. The machine can
also be set to record overtime at night if so desired.
In case work on a given job is not completed on the day it is begun, it
is not necessary to ring out on the elapsed time machine until the job
is completed as the machine computes up to 100 hours. A job beginning
on Monday and running through the week until Saturday night, when it is
finished, may be registered on one card, or even for a longer period up
to 100 hours.
The elimination or cut─out wheel referred to as being a part of the
master clock, is responsible for this wonderful piece of work. The
wheel makes one revolution in twenty─four hours and is graduated
in fifteen minute divisions for the purpose of setting the contact
breakers. The contact breakers are bits of hard rubber which are
fastened around the rim of the wheel, and may be moved about at the
will of the custodian of the apparatus by simply loosening the set
screw. These blocks are set on the starting and stopping time and when
they pass the contact breakers the electrical circuit is broken, and
the computing device started or stopped as the case may be.
=15. Cumulative Time Records.= In some factories and shops, the work
is of such nature that economy results if the work order and the time
record follows the job through all of the operations. For example,
hosiery and underwear go through the factory in dozen lots; in a shoe
factory a lot of shoes is kept together until every operation is
finished; in a harness factory, a bridle goes through all operations
on one work order; in a machine shop, one or more rough castings may
pass through several operations in the process of converting them into
finished parts.
[Illustration: Fig. 23. Calculagraph Time Card with Coupons]
When these conditions exist, it is practical to attach a time card to
the work, and to accumulate the time of all employes for the entire
job. At the same time, individual time records are obtained.
A form to be used with the mechanical time recorder, Fig. 18, is shown
in Fig. 23. This form consists of the usual work order to which is
attached a series of coupons, perforated for easy removal. Each coupon
is of the right size to accommodate the time record, and particulars
as to the order number, operation number, man's number, and number of
pieces.
[Illustration: Fig. 24. Cumulative Job Time Card]
[Illustration: Fig. 25. Operations Tag Used in an Underwear Mill]
The man who has the first operation enters his number and records his
starting time on the first coupon. When the operation is finished, the
time employed is recorded, the coupon is detached, and the job goes
forward to the next operator. If the operation is not finished at the
close of the day, the time record is made and the next coupon used by
the same operator.
Each day, all of the detached coupons are sent to the cost department,
where they serve several purposes. They are first sorted by employes'
numbers, to compare the time reported with the clock record; then
sorted by job numbers, to obtain time records for each job. From the
coupons, all necessary information is obtained for a record of jobs in
process, showing just where each job is at all times.
Another form for a cumulative, as well as an individual time record,
is shown in Fig. 24. This card is for use where no time recorders are
provided. Each employe records his time, and, when the last operation
is finished, the card goes to the cost department. If desired, this
card might be made with detachable coupons for the different operations.
PIECE─WORK RECORDS