Common Customer Issues: Why Some Businesses Make Rush Orders
There are many reasons why a business may make rush orders, requesting that a 90-day production be fast-tracked and completed in 45 days or slightly less. Such reasons are:
Surprise Sales Opportunity
Many markets are dynamic; some products can become viral overnight on social media, leading to a sudden surge in demand. When this happens, a business would want to meet this demand and not lose out to competitors.
Unprecedented Sales Campaign Success
Sales campaigns can perform beyond expectations, and a business may find itself needing more products to satisfy customer demand. Such a scenario may require a rush order before the present stock is depleted.
Supply Chain Disruption
Another issue a business may face that results in rush orders is supply chain disruption. This happens when a primary supplier fails to deliver due to logistics or production problems. To avoid being out of stock, an alternative manufacturer is needed to begin production immediately.
Stock Miscalculation
Stock miscalculation affects the ability of a business to serve customers adequately. To illustrate, a silicone retailer who sells Christmas-themed bottles may miscalculate the number of bottles to have in stock. If this error is detected late, a rush order comes to the rescue in such a case.
Our Solution: How KEAN Handles Rush Order Seamlessly
KEAN has positioned itself as a manufacturer that not only supplies a large clientele steadily, but also uses its large production capacity to tend to rush orders. KEAN uses the following channels:
Production Capacity
Five Production Capacity
KEAN operates five production facilities equipped with adequate equipment for large-scale production. With this number of production facilities, KEAN silicone can take on large orders and deliver efficiently. Should unforeseen circumstances affect the production at one facility, another takes on the task seamlessly.
In addition to the number of production bases, KEAN production capacity includes a 20,000 m² land area that accommodates large-scale production with dedicated sections for manufacturing processes, materials storing and staging, and standard inspection, among other things.
Daily Output
Our daily output is enormous as we have 500+ Employees that include engineers, seasoned operators, and specialists in different aspects of production. This size of workforce testifies to KEAN’s capability to attend to rush orders while serving the existing customer base. Part of our workforce is the quality assurance team that ensures every product we make passes strict quality checks.
Advanced Mechanization
Advanced machines across our facilities ensure a high standard of production, eliminating manual processes that create bottlenecks. Our advanced machines, such as computer-controlled rubber mixers, rubber molders, rubber cutters, and liquid injection molding machines, help to achieve consistent, high-quality results every time.
20% Flexible Production Capacity Reserve
In the production industry, the single most important factor that allows a manufacturer to take on and easily deliver rush orders is a dedicated reserve production capacity. A typical manufacturer operating at 100% capacity can fulfill regular orders, but can't take on rush orders without disrupting the ongoing production.
At KEAN, we have a separate 20% reserve production capacity that accommodates rush orders, among other things. This means that apart from our standard production capacity, we have a 20% extra.
Flexible Scheduling Adjustments
We combine flexible scheduling with our production capacity, and it aids resource and equipment reallocation in real-time. Our systems are automated to keep an accurate inventory of ongoing and upcoming work, delivery dates, etc. When rush orders come in, our planning team is able to prioritize production based on due dates, shifting low-priority orders to create openings when possible. Additionally, we are able to spot possible issues ahead of time, know when to balance workload on our equipment, and use updates from the shop floor to make sure every one of our clients gets their orders when due.
Rapid Line Changeover Technology
Usually, switching a production system from one product to another takes hours or days as the case may be. However at KEAN, we use the Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) method to reduce changeover to a few minutes. Our production switch is smooth and efficient because we separate internal work from the external, convert some internal work to external, and streamline the remaining internal work.
For example, in the external setup, the molds for the next products are preheated to the operating temperature while the ongoing production continues. Additionally, among other things, such as tools and fixtures, the material for the next project is also pre-weighed and staged close to the production area. For the internal setup, adjustments are made to the mold system in minutes.
Multi-Skilled, High-Collaboration Team
At KEAN, we understand that changeover time and equipment flexibility are just as important as the team that manages them. Our team, which is multi-skilled and flexible, collaborates effectively. Each team member is an expert in their niche and is proficient in at least two related production processes. Being multi-skilled means equipment operators can easily shift between production lines as circumstances demand. Above all, everyone on that team understands the entire production flow and process as a whole.
Our team structure is an edge for rush orders. We are able to redeploy operators across different production lines and use cross-trained quality inspectors for quality assurance checks at different production lines and stages to prevent delays while maintaining high standards.
Real-time Supply Chain Monitoring
We run a real-time digital inventory tracking system to manage our supply chain. It tracks the rate of production usage, current stock, and expected restock date for all materials. The inventory system notifies us as materials deplete and triggers reorder from our partners.
As our system monitors supply chain activities, we have put safeguards in place such as having enough material to run for weeks before materials are restocked. For example, during rush orders, we are able to accommodate more productions and get started while we await supply from our partners. And speaking of supply delivery partners, KEAN uses primary, secondary, and emergency contacts to ensure a smooth flow of production materials at all times.
Our Success Story: 100,000 Units in 72 Hours
One standout success story among many for KEAN Silicone is the delivery of 100,000 units of silicone waterproof shoe cover, silicone back scrubber, and silicone bath brush for an European brand running a promotional campaign. This existing customer made a rush order to replenish their fast-selling stock. The brand needed us to deliver the 100,000 units of silicone products within 72 hours, and we delivered! We met the deadline, and this allowed our client to gain maximally from their campaign.
Some of the factors that contributed to the success of that delivery are our existing infrastructure, reserve production capacity, and our large, experienced team. While the production of 100,000 units in 72 hours is remarkable, we’ve also delivered large and small rush orders to many of our other clients across the world.
The KEAN Commitment
At KEAN silicone, we are committed to providing the best service for clients; hence, we always prioritize our existing customers. We strive to have an opening available for our customers who may need rush orders. It's our way of strengthening ties and assuring our clients that they mean a lot to us and we do not take their patronage for granted.
Moreover, as much as we've engineered our production to accommodate large orders and even carved out a reserve capacity, our capacity isn't infinite. So, as much as we warmly welcome new customers, we endeavour to always give priority production scheduling for our existing clients.
Conclusion
Businesses need a trusted, reliable, and flexible supplier that can fulfill rush orders on demand without compromising quality. An ideal manufacturer should have reserve production capacity, a multi-skilled team of experts, a proper material supply system, and the appropriate equipment with little changeover time. KEAN is a manufacturer that has built a structure that keeps meeting the rush orders of its numerous clients. As a KEAN customer, your brand can stay ahead and avoid bottlenecks that impede swift rush order delivery.
At KEAN, we manufacture silicone products such as household silicone items and BPA-free food-grade silicone bottles, plates, and other utensils for brands across the globe. Reach out to us today to enjoy top-quality service!