We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Films/adhesives manufacturer develops new pandemic-era order-scheduling playbook
APPLICATIONS

Films/adhesives manufacturer develops new pandemic-era order-scheduling playbook

Covid-induced demand spikes and customer plant shutdowns threw Flexcon’s scheduling operations into disarray. Consulting company LeanCor helped it create order from the chaos.

December 13, 2020
Diane Rand
No Comments

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the U.S. earlier this year, Flexcon quickly discovered that one of its biggest challenges would arise from an unexpected source: work scheduling. The Spencer, Massachusetts-based company, which makes coated and laminated films and adhesives, had experienced a 25% bump in sales as businesses began responding to the health crisis this spring. In particular, it was seeing spikes in demand for products used in pharmaceutical and medical-device labeling, food and beverage packaging and labeling, and the floor graphics used to promote social distancing.

To cope with the surge, Flexcon would need to find a way to prioritize orders. But that wouldn’t be easy in pandemic times. Any strategy it devised would have to take into account the needs of all of Flexcon’s customers: “essential” businesses with urgent orders, customers with nonessential but nonetheless important orders, and businesses that had been temporarily shut down and whose orders would have to be held until they reopened.

Complicating matters, Flexcon had no reliable way of knowing which customers were deemed “essential,” which caused shipment scheduling chaos for prepaid customer orders. Adding to the confusion, the “essential” designation turned out to be open to interpretation. When the official determinations were finally handed down by local governments, some customers who had considered themselves to be essential had to close temporarily while others who had deemed themselves nonessential were told they could come back online.

PROBLEMS SOLVED

To help its supply chain deal with the unexpected closures amid a surge in sales volume, Flexcon tapped Florence, Kentucky-based warehouse management consulting firm LeanCor, A Transplace Company. For Flexcon, LeanCor was an obvious choice. The two are strategic partners, and their operations are so intertwined that a LeanCor associate literally works on site at a Flexcon facility and functions as a member of the Flexcon team.

One of the top items on LeanCor’s agenda was to help Flexcon track customer closures so it wouldn’t ship orders that could not be received—and would therefore need to be returned. To do this, customer service manually tracked which customers were open or closed through one-on-one conversations. Team members updated the list as they learned of each customer’s status and as that status changed. That information was then shared with the shipping department to put existing orders on hold if necessary. Status updates were also shared with the manufacturing department in order to get customers back onto the production schedule as they came back online.

As for the other urgent order of business—developing an order-prioritization strategy for scheduling—that solution came together quickly as well. According to the two companies, this was handled as a team effort and was completed in about a week’s time. To develop the strategy, team members used lean methodologies to develop a weighted score for all work orders to help the master schedulers prioritize the workload.

As a result of the collaboration, Flexcon now has an automated order-prioritization process it can use to make data-driven decisions going forward. Among other benefits, the new process enables better communication with customers to facilitate scheduling based on priorities and product availability. And importantly, the manufacturer now has a playbook on hand should a similar crisis occur in the future.

Supply Chain Services Other Services Consulting & Professional Services
KEYWORDS FLEXcon LeanCor
  • Related Articles

    NiceLabel launches new cloud-based business model for channel during COVID-19 era and beyond

    NEW RESEARCH SHOWS BABY BOOMERS WILL CONTINUE SHOPPING ONLINE POST-PANDEMIC

    Truck fleets order new trailers in record numbers as covid recovery strains freight capacity

Diane Rand has several years of magazine editing and production experience. She previously worked as a production editor for Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review. She joined the editorial staff in 2015. She is responsible for managing digital, editorial, and production projects for DC Velocity and its sister magazine, Supply Chain Quarterly.

Recent Articles by Diane Rand

How are retailers meeting omnichannel demands in a Covid world?

Looking to drive down freight costs? Software may be the key

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • For container lines and ports, what a difference a year makes

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Capacity challenges will continue in 2021

  • Shippers brace for tight capacity trend to continue in 2021

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Jlt procure rugged devices thumb

What it takes to procure the right rugged devices for your warehouse

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
Procuring new rugged devices for your warehouse is often a big decision and a significant investment. It needs careful planning and consideration. It involves more than ticking boxes on a spec sheet. It includes testing and getting employee buy in. And it's about finding a partner that can work with you to deploy...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing