Global manufacturing businesses are consistently innovating: looking for ways to use production floor data to improve product quality, reduce overhead costs, and drive profits in a notoriously competitive market.
At the same time, manufacturers often overlook other outdated processes and keep them “the way they’ve always been” because they don’t see any immediate cost benefit from the effort it takes to improve them.
Take the paper sign-in sheet at the front desk. Guests who need to enter facilities simply walk in, write their name and the purpose of their visit, and in many cases can walk freely into the rest of the building. It’s simple, works well enough, and doesn’t require anything more than a ream of paper and a cup of pens. Why spend time upgrading that system when the time and money could be invested in production floor improvements?
However, that “harmless” sheet of paper could expose your company to devastating security and legal risks, unplanned production downtime, and unrealized roadblocks. If you’re one of those businesses still relying on a paper logbook to track visitors entering your facility’s various access points, ask yourself whether the logbook could help you answer the following questions that often challenge manufacturing companies:
- Can you prove the visitor is who they say they are?
Anyone can scribble their name on a clipboard — we’ve seen plenty of Daffy Ducks and Bugs Bunnies — and invent a company or reason for their visit. Do you have any other processes to verify that Frank from HVAC Repair Specialists is really Frank or that HVAC Repair Specialists is authorized to work on your floor? Simply relying on people to be thorough and truthful with the information they provide is not acceptable in high-risk areas like your manufacturing facilities.
- Is that contractor’s insurance up to date?
Without an established system to verify contractor documents like a Certificate of Insurance, you risk allowing uninsured workers into dangerous areas and creating costly liability for your business. Paper sign-in sheets can’t enforce second checks or flag missing and expired credentials for your team.
- What happens when 10 people are waiting in the lobby?
One tour group at your front desk needing to manually write down their information on a single sheet of paper means an inconvenient bottleneck, your staff wasting time managing the flow of people, and more opportunity for bad actors to slip into your facility undetected. During peak times or shift changes, a paper logbook doesn’t just leave a poor first impression; it directly impacts your ability to verify each visitor and keep buildings secure.
- Who was in the building on April 4th last year?
When an auditor needs you to pull information on everyone who entered your facility during a specific date range, a paper filing system is a flimsy foundation for proof of compliance. Paper can easily get lost, become damaged and illegible, or be altered after the fact. Relying on it to comply with security or compliance requirements is simply not scalable for a cutting-edge business looking to grow and compete with rivals.
- And who had access to your secure server room that held sensitive data during that time?
Paper visitor logs at your front desk can’t track movement inside your building or between potentially secure rooms and hazardous zones within your facility. Whether you need to secure CUI for CMMC certification or ensure only authorized and insured employees handle dangerous machinery, paper can’t keep up with the complex sign-in requirements a manufacturing facility requires.
- Did that driver in the loading dock chock their wheels?
Even if your business also uses a paper sign-in process at loading docks, key safety checks needed from drivers can be easily forged or overlooked during the unloading process. If trucks or materials get damaged, locating the source of the incident comes down to memory instead of verifiable proof that your business enforced key safety protocols.
- Can you check that everyone in your facility is safe during a fire?
Speed matters in emergencies, especially in dangerous manufacturing situations where fires and chemical spills can seriously injure individuals inside the facility. Paper logbooks can’t verify whether visitors are still on-site or if they should be included in evacuation lists, and can even potentially be damaged in that emergency. Your roll-call cannot be accessed remotely by key safety personnel and could be full of errors, putting lives at risk.
Evolve Beyond Paper Sign-In
If that sheet of paper and pen at your front desk can’t help you answer questions like these, it’s probably time you upgraded the check-in process at your manufacturing facilities. Implementing a digital check-in platform across all entry points at your facilities will help ensure you’re not missing out on the key data your business needs about the individuals inside your buildings and exposing your business to unnecessary security and compliance risks.
Ready to retire your paper logbook? Receptful helps global enterprise manufacturers monitor employees and guests across all facilities and access points. Whether you need to check in a VIP tour at the front desk or accept material drop-offs at the loading dock, Receptful creates a centralized, secure, digital visitor log that you can access from anywhere – no filing cabinets required. Join an upcoming product tour to see how Receptful can help you say goodbye to paper for good.
