Problem

Our client, one of the largest industrial printing companies in the U.S., serves a variety of major customers in the personalized photo and printing industry. Their business is highly seasonal, requiring a quick ramp-up of contingent workers, particularly in Q4 for the holiday rush and in Q2 for yearbook season. They operate three major U.S. facilities in Phoenix, Maryland, and Louisville, employing between 500-700 temporary workers across all locations during peak times.

Before partnering with Traba, this company faced significant staffing challenges. They had cycled through nearly 30 different staffing agencies, ranging from traditional staffing firms to gig-based platforms. However, none of these solutions effectively met their needs. The most pressing issues included:

• Worker Experience Mismatch: Most of the workers sent by other staffing agencies, particularly gig apps, had little to no warehouse or production experience. Our client was receiving workers with backgrounds in retail, barista roles, and even dishwashing, nothing related to production roles. 

• Inconsistent Workforce: The type and schedule of the shifts made it difficult to retain workers. Agencies struggled to provide reliable workers who would show up on time and stay for the whole season.

• Lack of Staffing Visibility: Our client had no way to see if a worker was new or returning, making shift management inefficient. Additionally, no-shows or late arrivals disrupted production lines, leading to lost revenue and increased administrative costs.

• Inefficient Payroll & Invoicing: The invoicing process with previous agencies was confusing and inaccurate and lacked visibility into worker costs per department.

• Peak Season Struggles: During the holiday season, when demand surged, other staffing agencies failed to supply the required number of workers, leaving them hanging during the most important time of the year for their business.

Solution

Traba stepped in with a tailored solution that combined advanced technology, proactive and hands on operations, and a deep understanding of production staffing needs.

1. High-Quality, Vetted Workers

From the start, Traba ensured that every worker sent to our client had relevant production experience. Unlike their previous agencies, Traba implemented a rigorous double-vetting process:

• Digital recruiting attracted 1,000s of workers that underwent Traba’s proprietary conversational AI screening leading to a curated list of workers to vet in-person.

• Workers were screened for previous production experience, English proficiency, transportation reliability, and commitment to 12-hour and early morning shifts.

• A second round of vetting was conducted to confirm the worker’s qualifications before they were placed in a role.

• During in-person orientations, our team would assess workers once more, ensuring only the most reliable candidates made it through. 

This resulted in a significant improvement in worker quality and retention. This completely transformed their staffing model, getting workers who finally understood the demands of a production, knew their way around a facility and were committed to staying throughout the peak season.

2. Seamless Paylocity Integration

Our client also struggled with payroll inefficiencies due to their previous staffing agencies’ inability to integrate with their Paylocity system. Traba engineers completed the integration in just one month, five months ahead of schedule. This provided our customer with a long-term solution for a seamless payroll experience. 

This integration enabled:

• Direct payroll processing through our client’s existing systems.

• Greater transparency in workforce costs per department through cost centers.

• A smoother payroll experience that eliminated delays and administrative headaches.

3. A Scalable Partnership Across Multiple Locations

Traba’s success in the Phoenix facility led to rapid expansion, as our reliability, efficiency and our responsive team made a great impact on the production manager and HR business partner. This resulted in extending our partnership to their Maryland and Kentucky facilities right before peak season. The decision to grow was driven by consistently high worker retention rates, a close and trusted relationship with our operations team, and our ability to meet staffing needs even during the most demanding periods. Our personalized approach, including weekly calls to assess performance and troubleshoot issues, strengthened our partnership, making expansion a natural next step.

4. Delivering When Others Couldn’t: Holiday Season Success

The holiday season was their most critical period, with Thanksgiving week being their busiest. In previous years, other staffing agencies had failed to meet their needs, with some agencies delivering only a fraction of the required workforce.

Traba, however, delivered beyond expectations:

• When they needed 40 additional workers for Black Friday, Traba showed up in person and filled every role. Competing agencies provided only four workers.

• We implemented a worker consistency bonus and increased hourly rates for holiday shifts, incentivizing workers to remain committed through the season.

• On-site representatives from Traba managed real-time workforce adjustments, answering worker questions. 

Results

Traba’s impact on their operations was quantifiable:

• 95% fill rate, significantly higher than the 90% average of previous staffing providers.

• Reduced overtime costs, saving our client approximately $70,000 in excess wages by ensuring shifts were fully staffed without production line interruptions or the need to backfill unfulfilled roles. 

• Improved worker retention and attendance, minimizing disruptions in production and maximizing efficiency.

Traba’s data-driven, industry-focused staffing solution is changing the way businesses handle workforce management. We combine advanced technology, rigorous worker vetting, seamless payroll integration, and proactive relationship management to offer our customers a real labor solution.