Putaway is short at 08:00 while Goods-in has people spare. Hold them apart and you pay agency on both.
57Permanent on shift
50Busiest moment
14agency, staffed rigidly
£213agency cost
Each wave staffed on its own · agency held on every short wave
Crew demand by the hour
Heads needed each hour, stacked by wave, against the permanent team on shift
0510152025303540455055
team 57
06:0007:0008:0009:0010:0011:0012:0013:0014:0015:0016:00
Goods-inUnloadPutawayPickingPackingLoadingPermanent teamShort · needs agency
Coverage sheet
What each wave needs at its peak, what you have, and the order it produces
| Wave | Peak need | Permanent | Status | Agency | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goods-in | 2 | 2 | tight | · | · |
| Unload | 8 | 4 | short | 4 | Order 4 |
| Putaway | 8 | 4 | short | 4 | Order 4 |
| Picking | 30 | 26 | short | 4 | Order 4 |
| Packing | 18 | 16 | short | 2 | Order 2 |
| Loading | 5 | 5 | tight | · | · |
At its busiest the day needs 50 people and you have 57 on the team, so you have the heads. Staffed wave-by-wave that is 14 agency; let people move between waves and it clears to 1.
How it works
Outlay
Every wave of warehouse labour costed live, so the spend is recovered on the shift, not explained at month end.
Recover labour spend while the shift is still running.
- The problem: labour outlay is only added up at month end, too late to do anything about it.
- The solution: shop floor data capture, labour management, standard costing and scheduling, joined into one live board.
- Every wave shows the plan over the live actual, costed to the minute as the shift runs.
- The value: faster, fewer or better-deployed people, recouped on the day rather than written off at month end.