United Plastics Group
Facing fluctuating production demand, United Plastics Group used on-demand labor to fill shifts within hours, reduce retraining, and support three shifts with a reliable labor pool across operations.
United Plastics Group Builds a Labor Pool to Meet Changing Production Needs Across Three Shifts
United Plastics Group (UPG) is an international manufacturer of plastic parts for automotive, medical, and technology companies. The operation runs twenty-four hours a day, Monday through Friday, but production levels fluctuate. As those levels change, so does the number of people needed across its three shifts.
For UPG, managing that variability starts with its core employees. The company’s goal is to maintain a full-time team it can provide enough hours for even at its lowest production levels. When volume increases, it needs additional people to handle the work. When production slows, that additional labor need decreases.
That approach requires a dependable way to bring people in as work becomes available. It also makes familiarity valuable: Operators who return and learn the facility’s machines and positions can contribute without UPG having to repeat the same training each time.
Through Veryable, UPG has built a Labor Pool of returning Operators to support this model. The company selects Operators through the platform, evaluates their work in its facility, and brings back those who demonstrate consistent attendance and performance. What began on first shift has expanded across all three shifts, giving UPG a way to meet changing production needs throughout its operating schedule.
Choosing Who Comes Into the Facility
When UPG was introduced to Veryable, the ability to post work and select individual Operators stood out. The platform gave the company information it could use to decide whom to bring into its operation.
Chris Akins, HR Manager, could review Operator profiles to see certifications and previous work completed through Veryable. When multiple Operators bid on an Op, he could narrow the list using criteria relevant to UPG.
“I like that when we have a big list of operators that have bid for a position that I can filter them through different key points like, distance from our specific location, or reliability or overall rating,” Akins explains.
UPG also valued the two-way rating system. The company could consider ratings from previous work when selecting Operators, and Operators could rate their experience with UPG. Akins viewed having a rating attached to completed work as a source of accountability.
The number of Operators available locally was another important factor. Along with the information available about each person, that local availability helped make Veryable a practical option for responding to changes in production.
Starting on First Shift and Expanding as Operators Proved Consistent
UPG initially brought Veryable Operators into first shift, when the most employees were in the building. Starting there gave the company an opportunity to see who returned regularly and performed consistently.
As UPG identified Operators it wanted to continue working with, it began adding them to second and third shifts. Expansion followed experience with the people doing the work.
Third shift, running from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., was the last shift to introduce Veryable Operators. Akins reports good results on that shift as well, allowing UPG to use the same approach throughout its twenty-four-hour production schedule.
This mattered because an increase in production could affect any shift. Once UPG had established the approach across the operation, it could post work for the shift where additional people were needed.
Building a Labor Pool With Experience Across Positions
As Operators returned to UPG, they had opportunities to learn different parts of the production process. An Operator might work on one machine one day and a different machine the next. Over time, those assignments gave returning Operators experience in multiple positions.
For UPG, that familiarity reduced the need to repeatedly train new people.
“It's a win for us because we don't have to continuously train new people on a daily basis,” says Akins.
When regular Operators returned, they had already spent time in the facility and completed training for work they had performed. As they learned additional positions, UPG gained more options for where those Operators could contribute.
The company added its preferred Operators to its Labor Pool based on that firsthand experience. Profiles and ratings helped with initial selection; attendance and performance at UPG helped determine who became part of the group it wanted to bring back.
“They've been here. They've seen different positions. They're consistent,” Akins explains.
For certain shifts, UPG posts Ops exclusively to its Labor Pool. Having already evaluated those Operators, the company does not need to repeat the initial screening process each time it has work available. It can offer the work to people whose reliability and experience it knows.
The Labor Pool therefore became central to UPG’s approach to fluctuating demand. As returning Operators learned more of the facility’s work, the company developed a familiar group it could draw from when production increased.
Responding When an Order Changes a Shift’s Labor Needs
Some increases in production arrive with little notice. Akins describes coming in one morning and learning that a large order had been added to third shift, creating a need for additional Operators the following day.
Through Veryable, he can create Ops for that work and typically fill those needs within hours. That gives UPG a way to respond to the affected shift’s workload as soon as the additional requirement becomes known.
The Labor Pool makes that response easier. UPG can draw from Operators who have already worked in the facility, demonstrated that they are reliable, and learned relevant positions. The company has both access to additional people and experience working with the people it wants to bring back.
When Akins describes Veryable to others, he points to three things: the number of Operators available in UPG’s area, the ratings and work history that inform selection, and the ability to bring Operators in at short notice when production increases.
Together, those capabilities support UPG’s original workforce goal. The company can plan its core workforce around the hours available during slower periods and use Veryable Operators as production rises. As demand falls, it can adjust that additional labor accordingly.
By continuing to work with familiar Operators across all three shifts, UPG makes the time invested in selection and training useful beyond a single production increase. When more work comes in, it has people it knows to invite back.
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