Attendance, shift and leave process for Seal and O-Ring Makers: rest and rotation for tired eyes
Inspectors checking tiny rings under light tire quickly, and a missed fault is costly. The shift pattern decides how long eyes work without rest and who covers a press when someone is out.
Not sure what you need? Tell us about your business in six short steps and we will come to the first meeting prepared.
Share your requirementsWhy attendance, shift and leave process matters in seal and O-Ring makers
In many seal units the inspection table runs flat out until the lot is done. One person looks at rings for three or four hours with no change of task, and faults slip through late in the spell. When someone is absent, the nearest helper is moved to the table without any briefing, and the moulding press crew is left a person short, so mould cleaning is the first thing skipped.
Good looks like a written rule for inspection spells, with a short rest and a change of task before eyes tire. The rota moves people between inspection, gauging and packing. Cover is planned by station: each press, the deflashing machine and the inspection table have a named first and second person, and leave is approved only when the cover exists. Lot labelling is never left to whoever happens to be free.
How to set it up
1. Measure how long people sit on inspection
For one week, note start and finish times at the inspection table for each person. Compare with your reject data by hour. Many units find faults cluster late in a long spell.
2. Set a spell limit and a rest
Agree a maximum continuous inspection time and a short rest, then rotate to gauging or packing. Write it on the rota so supervisors can apply it without arguing.
3. Build a rota across tables
Move people between visual inspection, gauge and hardness checks, and lot labelling. It protects eyes, and it trains cover. The Seal and O-Ring Makers overview explains the stations.
4. Name first and second cover for each station
Presses, mould cleaning, deflashing, inspection, labelling. Approve leave only when both names are free. Brief the cover person on the lot in hand before they start.
5. Track absence by station and shift
Review monthly where gaps fall. If one shift is always short at inspection, adjust the rota or hiring. Check any employment rules with a qualified professional.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Time one inspector from start to first break on a normal day.
- Compare the hour of day with the number of rejects found at the customer or final check.
- Count the stations that have no named second person.
- Look at the last month of leave and see whether any press or table ran short.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach attendance, shift and leave process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
There is no single number. Use your reject data by hour to see when faults rise, and set the spell shorter than that. Rest and a switch to gauging or packing are both useful.
It can at first, because people take time to adjust. Over weeks, output usually steadies because fewer faults reach the customer. Rotation also builds cover for absence.
Name and train a second person, and keep a cleaning log so the work is visible. If cleaning is skipped when someone is out, short shots and flash rise within days.