Choosing a VMS Platform for Light Industrial: 5 Key Considerations

 

The light industrial sector—including manufacturing, food processing, and textiles—plays a pivotal role in the nation’s economy. Its reliance on contingent labor is critical to meeting fluctuating market demands. Why hire full-time employees for seasonal tasks, like producing Christmas stockings, when temporary workers can fulfill that demand? As a result, this sector is one of the largest employers of contingent talent.

However, managing this dynamic workforce can be a logistical challenge. Relying on manual processes to track and manage contingent workers in such a fast-paced environment is no longer feasible. Enter the VMS platform—a comprehensive solution that automates tasks like worker classification, shift scheduling, and attendance tracking. It streamlines workforce management, reduces risk, and cuts costs.

So, if you're in the process of selecting a VMS platform for your light industrial organization, this guide is for you! Let’s dive into the top 5 things you need to consider.

What is a VMS Platform?

A VMS Platform is a SaaS-based web and mobile application that helps enterprises to manage their contingent workforce aka temporary workforce and also the staffing suppliers that they use to source and hire these workers. This platform is a working engine for the staffing department to keep the wheel running smoothly and ensure the recruitment lifecycle is well automated. One can find program managers, hiring managers, admin staff, and procurement specialists to use this platform to update new suppliers, produce reports of their performance, distribute current organization requirements and job openings, source and maintain talent pool, onboard new temp workers, maintain their timesheet data, facilitate background checks and keep track of their credentials. 

How To Choose Your Ideal VMS Platform

Managing temporary workers in the light industrial sector requires a reliable tool, and that’s where a VMS platform becomes your secret weapon. However, not all VMS solutions are created equal. Your choice should align with your company’s specific needs. Here are the key factors to consider:

1. Flexibility & Scalability

Fluctuating demand due to seasonal shifts, project requirements, and market changes is a hallmark of the light industrial sector. A good VMS platform should adapt seamlessly to these changes, offering features like:

• Managing Peak Seasons: The ability to scale quickly to onboard workers during high-demand periods such as holiday production spikes with the ability to create private pools. 

• Work Shift Capabilities: A robust system should easily manage different shift patterns, allowing for accurate shift rotations, shift swapping, and overtime tracking.

• Project-Based Needs: Temporary workforce requirements can arise with short notice. For example, a last-minute order surge during a seasonal peak could necessitate hiring temp workers. A VMS platform should allow for efficient sourcing, hiring, and onboarding to meet such demands quickly.

2. Cost Effectiveness

Hiring on a larger scale generally leads to more cost. But with a VMS, it can be minimized. By automating tasks like onboarding, interview scheduling, background checks, etc, and streamlining processes, a VMS helps businesses optimize their labor expenses. Here’s how:

• Reduced Time-to-Fill: With automation and streamlined workflows, a VMS accelerates the process of filling requisitions and onboarding candidates, reducing the overall time it takes to get workers on-site.

• Improved Time-to-Hire: A VMS speeds up the recruitment process by automating key stages, resulting in faster time-to-hire and enabling teams to reach full productivity sooner.

• Decreased Recruitment Costs: By simplifying and optimizing the recruitment process, a VMS reduces the resources spent on sourcing and hiring temporary workers, leading to significant cost savings.

• Enhanced Cost Control: With robust reporting and analytics, an ideal VMS provides full visibility into labor costs, allowing businesses to identify areas for optimization and prevent overspending.

3. Compliance & Risk Mitigation

In light industries, adhering to labor laws and regulations is crucial for minimizing risk, avoiding legal penalties, and maintaining a strong reputation. A VMS platform plays a key role in ensuring compliance and reducing liabilities. Here’s how:

• Supervise Independent Contractors: A VMS helps classify workers accurately, whether they are independent contractors or employees, ensuring proper worker classification and compliance with labor regulations.

• Mitigate Legal Risks: By providing transparency in workflows and automating compliance processes, a VMS reduces the risk of labor disputes and minimizes legal liabilities.

• Implement Labor Laws: A VMS ensures adherence to essential labor laws, including workplace safety standards, minimum wage, and overtime pay, keeping your operations compliant.

• Track Compliance: With centralized employee information and documentation, a VMS enables businesses to monitor compliance records and quickly address potential issues before they escalate.

4. Integration and Data Management

Data Management is essential for generating to-the-point reports, conducting analyses, and making real-time informed decisions. But here an ideal VMS is the one that helps with seamless integration with the existing IT system of the company, be it HRIS, LMS, ATS, or other business applications. 

• Streamlined workflows: Integration eliminates manual data entry and reduces the risk of errors, leading to streamlined workflows and improved efficiency.

• Centralized data management: VMS being a centralized platform provides a single source of communication for workforce data, ensuring transparency, consistency, and accuracy across the organization.

• Enhanced decision-making: A strong data management system helps companies use their workforce data to make smart decisions about their employees.

• Improved compliance: Integration with HR systems can help ensure compliance with labor regulations by automating tasks such as time and attendance tracking and payroll processing.

5. User Experience and Support

An ideal VMS must-have list essentials should be a user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation to ensure efficient and effective use by HR professionals and hiring managers. Reliable customer support and comprehensive training resources are crucial for maximizing the value of the VMS solution and addressing any challenges that may arise. Let’s check below:

• Improved efficiency: A user-friendly interface enables users to quickly steer through the platform, leading to improved efficiency and productivity.

• Timely issue resolution: Reliable customer support ensures that any technical issues or questions are promptly addressed, minimizing user downtime and frustration.

• Effective training: Comprehensive training resources empower users to fully leverage the capabilities of the VMS platform, maximizing its value and return on investment.

Wrapping Up!

Today light industries are facing a competitive edge, where a well-chosen VMS platform is a deal-maker to help optimize workforce management, reduce costs, and regulate compliance. By carefully considering the facts mentioned above, a company in Light Industrial can easily select a VMS platform that best aligns with the company’s interests, demand fluctuations, operations, and needs. FlentisPRO VMS could be your one-stop solution if you’re looking for contemporary technology that solves problems specific to your business. 

PS: VMS is not your liability, it’s your investment, so choose wisely!