O'Neal Steel, Inc., based in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, is the nation's largest privately owned full-line metal service center company. For over 7 years, this largest family-owned metal business uses biometrics for access control and time and attendance. This full-line metal service center is using Ingersoll Rand Recognition Systems biometric HandPunch terminals in 35 locations across the United States to input time and attendance. It is employing 2500 workers and operating multiple locations across the nation.

Bill Burks, Network specialist of O'Neal Steel, says, "We find hand geometry to be less intrusive and the best functioning biometric in a harsh environment."

O'Neal Steel wanted to avoid past experiences of employees losing their badges or buddy-punching, in which one employee punches in or out for another. That's why, the company selected the HandPunch, which automatically takes a three-dimensional reading of the size and shape of a hand and verifies the user's identity in less than one second. The task of these biometric readers is to eliminate the need for employees to carry a badge. Thus it purges the problem of lost or forgotten badges. It provides more accurate information about who, where and when employees are working and eliminate buddy-punching.

"People lose their badges. Fingerprint does not function well in the dirt and dust so the HandPunch was the answer for us. The best thing of all is that there are no badges involved and employees simply can't lose their hands. Most of the 46 original biometric hand readers are still in service seven years later and need very little maintenance," said Bill Burks, network specialist with O'Neal Steel. 

The HandPunch terminals operate in a warehouse setting where there is an abundance of dust and oftentimes water leaks from the corrugated metal roofs. The units are installed in enclosures at the entrance to the buildings and at the break rooms. Employees plug in their employee number and then present their hand.

O'Neal Steel can monitor who is at different locations throughout the day. Moreover, employees can transfer from one cost center to another, using the HandPunch to record the time it takes to complete a project or make repairs. As all data is transferable and accessible via the Internet, it is possible to do payroll from a home office on the weekend.

O'Neal Steel's time and attendance solution was implemented by Gorrie Regan & Associates of Birmingham, Ala., O'Neal Steel is using Attendance Enterprise software for time and attendance.