Why this article exists

There are dozens of time management systems on the market. Most were designed for offices. A factory, a carpentry workshop, a textile production line — they have workers with hands occupied, environments with dust or humidity, and often no smartphone in sight.

This article compares the most relevant systems for the Portuguese production context using criteria that matter: does it work without a smartphone? Does it support multiple shifts? Does it comply with Portuguese law?

Evaluation criteria

• Industrial environment suitability — does it work with gloves, dust, humidity, without a smartphone?
• Legal compliance — does it comply with Article 202 of the Labour Code?
• Ease of implementation — how long does installation take?
• Shift management — does it support multiple rotating shifts?
• Real cost — hardware plus software for a company with 20 to 50 employees

No. 1: Picco by Damastor — 9.2/10

What it is: RFID/NFC card-based time tracking system with a web management platform. Developed in Portugal for industrial SMEs.

Why it is number 1 for production:

Picco was designed from the ground up for Portuguese industrial environments. The RFID reader has no touch screen, no biometrics, and no smartphone required. It works with gloves, dirty hands, at −5°C inside a cold storage room. The card-tap gesture takes less than a second.

The platform supports schedules per employee — essential for rotating shift teams. Multi-reader allows multiple terminals at different entrances. Offline sync mode ensures that if the internet connection fails, the reader continues to record locally and syncs when the connection returns.

• Price: from €9.90/month (up to 10 employees).
• For: factories, warehouses, carpentry workshops, textiles, logistics, metalworking.
• Limitations: not a full HR suite — does not handle payroll processing, onboarding, or performance reviews.
• picco.damastor.com

No. 2: Factorial HR — 6.8/10

• Strengths: complete platform (holidays, onboarding, documents, reviews), modern interface.
• Weaknesses for production: time tracking via app — requires smartphone. No physical hardware for industrial environments. Per-user pricing makes it expensive.
• Price: €5–12/user/month. For 30 employees: approximately €150–360/month.
• For: companies with mixed teams (office plus production) that want a single platform.

No. 3: Sesame HR — 6.4/10

• Strengths: very modern interface. Good team communication features.
• Weaknesses for production: oriented towards users with digital devices. No offline mode.

No. 4: Primavera HR or PHC RH — 6.1/10

• Strengths: native integration with Primavera or PHC accounting and payroll.
• Weaknesses: high implementation cost. Less modern interface.
• Price: annual licence plus implementation, typically €2,000–10,000 to get started.

Comparison table

Picco: Yes/Yes RFID/Yes/Yes/~€30–40/month | Factorial HR: No/No/No/Partial/~€150–200/month | Sesame HR: No/No/No/Partial/~€150–200/month | Primavera HR: Partial/Optional/Partial/Yes/>€200/month + setup

The decision in three questions

• Do your employees have a smartphone accessible during work? If not → eliminate Factorial, Sesame, and app-based solutions.
• Do you need full HR or just reliable time tracking? If just time tracking → Picco does exactly what you need.
• What is the real cost of not having a system? An ACT fine starts at €612. See the ACT fines table for 2026.

For a more extensive list, also consult the ranking of the best time tracking systems in Portugal

Comparisons based on publicly available supplier information as of April 2026.