American Time Blog

There's a reason you don't swat a fly with a sledge hammer. That kind of power would lay waste to more than just the fly.

The same mindset applies to electrical systems. Applying high voltage to a device that can't handle it, results in fried circuits and a potential fire hazard. That's why it's important to consider clock voltage when making a purchase for your facility, whether you're buying a few replacements or installing an entirely new synchronized time system.

When every second matters, each person in your clinic or hospital needs to be on the same time. Whether tracking surgery time, coordinating patient care, keeping appointments on time or recording tasks, precise time throughout a building or campus is essential.

In a clinic or hospital, every second counts. From floor to floor, and from each staff member to each patient, nearly every aspect of care depends on an entire building working in sync.  

As manufacturers race to stay competitive in an uncertain market, the importance of using digital technology to support efficient operations and engaged employees becomes more urgent. According to Manufacturing Global, “Many CIOs in the manufacturing sector view increasing operational efficiency and transforming the business as imperative to driving technology investments. With this in mind, IT platforms should provide the integration and coordination required for success.”

When someone walks into a building, their experience is essential. Occupants and visitors should feel safe and secure. Technology should support efficient work and precise, real-time communications.

Digital communication and signage in a building is an effective way to achieve this. In addition to sharing important daily news and messaging capabilities, modern communication platforms can deliver emergency alerts and clear instructions for keeping individuals safe and secure. In other words, a communication platform is most valuable when it can be used for both routine daily messaging and to bolster and reinforce critical emergency alerts. Let’s look at a few specific examples.

When a building or campus’s clock system runs on a Wi-Fi network or Power over Ethernet (PoE) connection, it’s an elegant solution because it solves the need for synchronized time simply and effectively: Each clocks displays the same, precise time that it retrieves using an existing Wi-Fi network or via an Ethernet cable. Both Wi-Fi and PoE clocks are in the IP Network category of clock systems.  

Some companies assume that they need to purchase and operate an expensive time server to support an IP Network clock system. As a global provider of clock systems to some of the most recognized companies around the world, we can authoritatively say that spending thousands on a time server could be redundant, unnecessary and a waste of capital if it’s not needed for the application.  

Inefficiencies in the workplace are not always easy to spot. You won't see employees literally setting $100 bills on fire, but inevitably, there will be times during the day when otherwise productive work hours might as well be going up in smoke.

And this isn't necessarily due to a lack of work ethic or motivation. At DMR Electronics, a manufacturer of industrial electronic components and wiring harnesses, employees sometimes had no other choice but to waste time standing around while waiting for meetings to get underway. But, it wasn't their fault. Since there was no single time source to rely on, their schedules were easily thrown out of whack.

The phenomenon led DMR to research synchronized clock systems, ultimately choosing American Time to bring an added sense of order to its daily operations.

Float Euphoria, based in Kennewick, Washington, isn’t your typical spa. They offer a variety of stress-fighting services like massage, cupping, and floatation therapy, a weightless spa experience that feels like you’re floating on top of the water — because you are.

A Tight Schedule in a Relaxed Environment

In order for client’s to get the most out of their massage and float experiences, things have to happen right on time. Both the massage and flotation services must stick to a strict schedule for cleaning, maintenance, and to keep appointments from running awry.

As far as we know, time travel hasn't been invented yet, so when hospital records show a patient leaving one area at a certain time and arriving at their destination two minutes earlier, something isn't right.

At the Essentia Healthcare Campus in Duluth, Minnesota, this discrepancy became problematic when billing the patient’s insurance company, who didn't buy the proposition that someone could be in two places at once, thus refused to pay the bills when that's what the records showed.

This is a story of how changing one aspect of hospital operations saved a facility thousands of dollars, illustrating just how important it is that all the clocks in your facility stay in sync.

Anyone who's ever visited an ice cream shop, craft beer taproom, or the cereal aisle of a grocery store knows choices can be hard. Cheerios or Captain Crunch? Weird... somehow they both ended up my cart. But sometimes in business, you have to make just one choice and when making big decisions is part of your job, the stakes only rise.

If you're tasked with selecting a synchronized clock system for your facility, there are many options to choose from. If you don’t know much about synchronized time, your mission might seem easy at first, you just buy clocks and hang them on the walls right? But just like buying an ice cream cone or picking out your favorite cereal brand, there are a variety of options to choose from. We are, after all, talking about installing an entire network of electronic devices.

As you delve deeper into this mission, you might require some guidance. Here, we'll help you determine which type of clock is best for you, depending on your industry and the type of facility you're responsible for keeping on time.