In trying to find an appropriate and sustainable solution, Quantore is truly looking for a partnership in workforce scheduling optimization. Quantore and its business partner must always try to find the best solution(s) and adopt a critical attitude. They met with three different potential partners during the selection process, where the overall picture was crucial. Over the next several years, numerous applications will need to be integrated effectively. In addition to partnership and the overall package, an interest in the logistics industry was a key requirement. This is one area where ORTEC, with its many years of experience, scored maximum points. These were the crucial questions that were raised during the final stage: How do we manage the transition to online sales, and how can we respond as effectively as possible to the growing volatility in the market?
The company constantly needs new impulses to remain viable for the future. Sifra Heijmans (HR Consultant for Logistics and responsible for personnel planning and scheduling): “We have found ORTEC to be a very flexible and open partner that helps us optimize our planning and scheduling processes, which means we communicate very clearly about our mutual expectations right from the start. Early on, we were not yet ready as an organization for a ‘comprehensive’ solution, so we started out with the basic version of ORTEC Workforce Scheduling. When first joining the company, employees are given the opportunity to state their personal preferences, to tailor the schedules more closely to their needs. This creates a good ‘vibe’ within the organization. In addition to this ESS (Employee Self Service) application, the link with other systems, including AFAS and Kelio (workforce management system), creates a streamlined, clear, and consistent overview. These options have made it easy to tailor the solution to our needs.”
“We have found ORTEC to be a very flexible and open partner that helps us optimize our planning and scheduling processes, which means we communicate very clearly about our mutual expectations right from the start.”
Sifra Heijmans (HR Consultant for Logistics and responsible for personnel planning and scheduling)
In addition to flexibility, cost-effectiveness is another crucial factor. The growing pressure on profit margins in the logistics industry has also called into question the current business model. Planners, schedulers, and other workers spend less time on administrative duties and are better able to focus on strategic issues. Since the schedules now meet the personal needs of employees and the overall supply of work available, Quantore can work more efficiently.
Years ago, this might have seemed out of reach. Staff members would routinely fiddle around with Excel, faced with the challenge of ironing out all the wrinkles. Now, Quantore can convincingly say that significant progress has been made in terms of automation and optimization, and customers receive superior service, because planners and schedulers can work in an organized way by having access to an optimized overview. This enables them to correct any errors in time and reduce vulnerability to error. ORTEC Workforce Scheduling always provides employees – using mobile applications – with up-to-date information on their leave days and hours worked. This enables them to view changes at any time of the day and from any location, thereby improving work-life balance and increasing employee engagement. This has an impact on the work performed by employees, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Overall, we can conclude that Quantore is well-prepared for future challenges. We always explore any areas for improvement together. Over the next several months, we will discuss ways of forging an even closer partnership in the coming years. For example, the next step is to start using ORTEC Optimizer, which can result in more efficient basic planning and, by extension, a greater focus on available capacity. They will also focus more specifically on employee preferences. Quantore – particularly in view of the events of 2020 – aims to adopt a more flexible attitude towards both its employees and its customers, which calls for a huge amount of discipline in the organization. The company’s employees are crucial to the development of its planning and scheduling processes. Their feedback allows the company to establish the most effective possible process. This dot on the horizon has placed them before an incredible challenge, but one they’re more than happy to take on!
The Challenge
Many years ago, Quantore faced the challenge of aligning two different disciplines: the supply of available work (consisting of the number of projects completed) and the number of available employees. Since the two were out of sync, employees were unable to carry out their work with the level of efficiency required. At the time, Quantore was considering implementing a flexible workforce scheduling system to prevent employees from working too many hours during quiet periods, and vice versa. In order to stay ahead of the growing competition, Quantore was compelled to make some innovative changes to better be able to meet the changing needs of its customers and employees.
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