Overview
American Time Solution: Wi-Fi Network Clocks
Campus size: Two towers, 1.1 million square feet
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has three approved medicines that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) and has several ongoing clinical and research programs in CF. Beyond CF, Vertex has a robust pipeline of investigational medicines in other serious diseases.
Challenge
With two towers at its global headquarters in Boston that total 1.1 million square feet, synchronized clocks are important for keeping schedules on time. However, Vertex’s atomic clocks were consistently out of sync and displaying different times. The company needed a better solution to keep its employees on time for meetings and events, and to reduce the amount of time that the workplace services team spent on fixing clocks.
Solution
During an online search, Vertex came across American Time. “We knew we wanted a wireless system for sure,” said Andrew Cournoyer, manager of workplace services at Vertex. “We also required a solution that was maintenance free. Having more than 150 conference rooms with clocks on-site can be demanding from a maintenance perspective. It was critical we found a solution that was reliable and adjusted as needed to correct the given time.”
Vertex chose American Time’s Wi-Fi network clocks. Wi-Fi network clocks provide a complete, synchronized time system for a building or campus. A wireless router keeps all of the clocks on the same, precise time and automatically updates them for daylight saving time. Because the clocks rely on an organization’s existing Wi-Fi network, there is minimal capital investment; Wi-Fi clocks also don’t require a master controller, wires, license fees or cables. Each clock can be pre-configured to automatically join the Wi-Fi network as soon as it is hung on the wall. Plus, the batteries can last up to five years.
Results
Vertex now has more than 200 Wi-Fi network clocks that operate within one second of each other. Most clocks are located throughout Vertex’s conference rooms and office spaces, with others located in the labs. First and foremost, the maintenance-free aspect of the clocks has been a huge benefit to the workplace services team.
“With this dynamic and confidence, our team is now able to focus on more vital tasks rather than committing a significant amount of time to tediously troubleshooting the previous solution” said Cournoyer. “These challenges are no longer part of our daily routine.”
Vertex chose to have the Wi-Fi clocks arrive preconfigured to its network, so the team simply had to hang up the clocks and forget about them. “The [American Time] team instructed us on how to activate the clocks in the same place where they were going to be hung on the wall; that way they picked up the right signal. So all we had to do was hang them up,” said Cournoyer. “It’s a big benefit knowing that the time on the clocks is accurate because it’s based on our Wi-Fi connection. And when daylight saving time kicks in, we don’t have to worry about it.”
Synchronized clocks are essential for any organization that wants to help its employees work efficiently and stay on time. Cournoyer explained, “With all of the clocks showing the same time, it gives folks in the meeting spaces a little more accountability. Even when everyone has a smart phone or a laptop [to check the time], a quick glance at a clock is easy. And the clocks have minimized work orders and minimized hours of maintenance.”