WayhomartTwelve SKUs, four colours: staged releases
Twelve SKUs and four colours is a changeover problem, not a capacity problem. Two colour releases, structure-based batching and a frozen window make the schedule possible.
Challenge
The programme launches twelve styles in four colours at once; releasing it as one order multiplies colour and fixture changeovers, generates twelve first-article checks, and lets any single delay hold the whole shipment.
What we did
Core colours run in one window and supplementary colours in a second; SKUs sharing a fixture are batched so first articles are sampled by structure; the packing line runs separately from coating; and a frozen window is agreed so colours and quantities stop changing before production.
Result
- Colours split into two releases, concentrating changeovers
- Structure-based batching, sampling first articles by structure
- Packing unbundled from coating, so it does not block the line
What this file records
A configuration file, not a client story. Client identities and commercial figures are not published; no number is given where none was measured.
Three switches that set the schedule
| Switch | Setting | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Colour release | Core colours first, supplementary second | Halves the changeover count |
| Structure batching | SKUs sharing a fixture run together | First articles sampled by structure |
| Packing split | Packing line scheduled independently | Does not consume coating windows |
None of them is about price, and all three decide when goods arrive.
Sample first articles by structure, not by SKU
Twelve SKUs done one by one means twelve trial welds. If eight share a fixture and differ only in size, sampling by structure — with dimensional checks for the rest — is defensible.
The precondition is that size differences are within the fixture’s adjustment range, and it has to be agreed at quotation, not argued about in production.
How to write the frozen window
A frozen window means colours and quantities cannot change after a given date.
- For the buyer: a scheduling commitment.
- For the factory: a line that is not interrupted mid-run.
Programmes without a frozen window tend to change weekly and schedule nothing.
Three benefits of staged delivery
- Core colours reach the shelf first, in season.
- Cash flow is smoother than one full stock position.
- Feedback is usable, so the second release can correct colour and packaging.
The cost is a slightly higher unit price (no single full run) and an extra logistics step. Whether it pays depends on seasonality, not unit price.
When not to split
- The programme is a one-off promotion with a fixed date.
- Colours are sold as a set, so a missing colour blocks the sale.
- The destination warehouse has a narrow receiving window, making multiple arrivals more expensive.
Where to go next
- Where changeover cost sits: multi-SKU programme scheduling.
- Booking capacity rather than stock: annual framework buying.
- Categories: kitchen counter racks and shelving.
- Programme and launch date in hand: contact us.
Related product ranges
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