Leading food manufacturer boosts productivity with Malone’s flexible staffing approach
Executive Summary
A major national account had a unique staffing need that was outside traditional supplier guidelines. With a flexible and responsive approach, Malone stepped up to fully support the client by creatively adapting a solution that satisfied both the client and Malone.
The Client
One of the world’s leading food manufacturers of iconic brands
For more than 30 years, this client has been operating a processing facility in north Georgia, where it produces some of America’s favorite breakfast foods. The facility also runs secondary production lines that are dedicated to multiple varieties of popular snack foods.
The Challenge
Ensure every shift is fully staffed to meet production goals
To maximize productivity, each processing line should be fully staffed on every shift and department. With the client’s primary onsite staffing team focused exclusively on the main production line, its smaller snack food lines were often understaffed and struggling to hit productivity targets. An obvious solution was to increase staffing resources on the secondary lines. However, this presented a complicated challenge to the client, who was managing a resource constrained team.
The Approach
Scaling a solution to client needs rather than expecting the client to adjust expectations solved an ongoing staffing dilemma
The customized solution included a dedicated staffing manager that would solve their immediate needs; however, the initial size and scope doesn’t typically support an onsite resource. Another challenge was the closest Malone branch was at least an hour away. Malone met these challenges with a flexible and creative approach. For example, Malone:
- Leveraged virtual recruitment capabilities
- Overcame a lack of branch presence by hosting weekly local job fairs
- Negotiated a cost-sharing approach to accommodate the requested onsite resource
- Provided initial oversight through a local strategic account manager
To test the viability of this nontraditional approach, the Malone team communicated every step of the way to ensure they delivered high-touch customer service and satisfaction.
The Results
With a nimble, creative approach, Malone resolved a long-standing staffing shortfall
One-size-fits-all solutions are not always a good fit when the staffing need falls below industry threshold. That didn’t stop Malone from finding a way to structure a scaled solution to meet low-volume demand for a valued client. Within 30-45 days, Malone established an onsite resource and fully staffed all shifts on four different production lines, including supervisors for every shift and line. The client was impressed with Malone’s ability to simplify the complex, compress the recruiting cycle and secure the needed staff with speed. The client’s managers especially appreciated the frequent communications that allowed them to track progress from afar.
