Customer: A Creative Cog Ltd (Bakerlogy.com)
Sector: Manufacturing and e-commerce
Summary: Designing the best shift patterns for a growing SME
A Creative Cog Ltd manufactures a wide range of themed cookie cutters which are sold via e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and via its website www.bakerlogy.com.
Increased global demand for Bakerlogy cookie cutters saw the business grow rapidly.
This meant a larger team on shift schedules was required to optimise and streamline different stages of the order fulfilment life cycle. So, management set about to building a team of directly employed full-time and part-time production operatives.
A Creative Cog Ltd needed shift patterns that would inform its recruitment strategy and ensure employees’ hours adjusted throughout the year to reflect seasonal demand.
Working Time Solutions’ experts combined their deep knowledge of manufacturing with our innovative WORKSuite® Pattern Design software to identify the optimum mix of roles and create shift patterns that support Demand-Led Rostering.
Options for the new approach saw part-time staff providing cover throughout the year (which makes sure they remain familiar with the production workflow and inventory system). This reduces the need for training and maximises productivity during peak production periods.
These options were easily compared to patterns to employ full time staff all year and used to hire additional staff across the high seasonal demand period.