Goonvean Ltd

If only all the other software packages we have were as user-friendly and adaptable as Mitrefinch HR has proved to be.

Goonvean Ltd
The original Goonvean company was formed in 1931. It is now Europe's largest independently owned kaolin producer. It also produces china stone, feldspars and aggregate by-products. Committed to quality, Goonvean were the first kaolin company to set up a quality system and again led the way with ISO 9001. Goonvean employs approximately 190 people in the StAustell area.

Three years ago, it was decided that Goonvean would upgrade its corporate information systems. The purchases of the Time and Attendance, and Human Resources packages were part of that decision.

The introduction of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) in October 1998 meant that we, along with many other companies, were suddenly required to keep additional records of worked hours to satisfy EU legislation.

Goonvean's employees are paid on a basis of multiplied hours which, prior to using TMS, were calculated manually and then keyed into the payroll system, ie we had no computerised records of actual hours worked, only multiplied hours.

The TMS works on assumed clockings (we do not have clocking terminals) and the operator then keys in any additional hours information. The TMS now handles all the calculations of the multiplied hours. When all the information is in the system, a batch file is created which is then imported into the Earnie payroll package for further processing.

With the introduction of the TMS package we now have a full picture of actual hours worked for all employees on the system.

Following the successful implementation of the TMS, Mitrefinch seemed the natural choice for the Human Resources (KR) system that was the next step in our systems upgrade. Prior to that, our employee information was to be found in a number of different places: spreadsheets, databases and word-processing documents. The idea behind the introduction of the HR was to bring all this disparate information together.

If only all the other software packages we have were as user-friendly and adaptable as the HR has proved to be. A good example is our recent introduction of a completely new section to record medical details that are specific to our industry. This will allow us to analyse trends and target any potential problem areas.

Another key selling point of the Mitrefinch HR package was their intention to merge the HR and TMS databases onto a single platform. A clear benefit of this is that it will allow complete reporting on an employee's details.

We have been fortunate in our choice of Mitrefinch as business partners. Their implementation and support staff are unfailingly courteous, helpful and knowledgeable. In addition, Goonvean has benefited from attending User group meetings. Not only has this allowed us to discuss issues with other users but also to meet the support people face-to-face.

www.goonvean.com