Leverage contingent labor to meet current and future workforce demands, optimize labor across production and distribution operations, and deploy performance-aligned staffing programs that drive efficiency and reliability.
Across multi-site manufacturing and distribution networks, organizations frequently face fluctuations in production demand, unexpected workforce gaps, and sudden skill shortages.
One day, a production line may require additional operators to meet urgent orders; the next, a distribution center needs extra staff to maintain on-time shipments. Without a flexible workforce strategy, these operational pressures can slow throughput, increase costs, and strain permanent employees.
The use of contingent labor — temporary, seasonal, or project-based workers — is no longer simply a substitute. It has become a strategic lever for operational flexibility and efficiency. Recent research indicates that by 2025, nearly two-thirds of global business leaders plan to increase their reliance on contingent workers over the next two years, reflecting the growing importance of scalable, adaptable workforce solutions in production and distribution environments.
For manufacturing and distribution organizations, the ability to strategically plan, deploy, and manage contingent labor provides the foundation for operational flexibility, maintaining throughput, and meeting customer demand without disruption. Eclipse Advantage helps organizations navigate these challenges by ensuring that the right labor is in place, when and where it’s needed most.
This white paper explores how organizations can leverage contingent labor to address current and future workforce needs, optimize labor across production and distribution operations, and implement performance-aligned staffing programs that drive efficiency and reliability.
1. Current and Future Contingent Labor Needs
Contingent labor provides the flexibility necessary to respond to fluctuating demand and workforce volatility. Organizations rely on temporary and project-based workers to scale production, fill specialized roles, and maintain operational continuity without overcommitting permanent headcount.
Looking ahead, several trends are shaping contingent labor needs:
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Technology adoption: Advanced manufacturing and logistics systems require adaptable, technically skilled workers.
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Labor market volatility: Competitive talent markets and demographic shifts make access to skilled labor increasingly challenging.
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Volume unpredictability: Seasonal peaks, supply chain disruptions, and fluctuating customer demand require labor resources that can scale rapidly.
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Demand for niche and role-specific skills: As operations become more specialized, organizations increasingly need contingent workers with targeted capabilities — such as equipment operators, quality technicians, maintenance support, or skilled production roles — who can be deployed quickly to support specific processes or production lines.
By anticipating these trends, organizations can leverage contingent labor as a strategic resource, rather than a short-term solution, positioning themselves for long-term operational efficiency.
2. Approaches to Labor Support Across Distribution and Production Environments
Effective labor support integrates contingent workforce management directly into operational strategy. Eclipse Advantage embeds management teams on-site, standardizes multi-site processes, and aligns contingent and permanent staff in a total talent strategy.
Key elements of this approach include:
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Embedded on-site management: On-site supervisors and workforce leadership oversee daily staffing levels, scheduling, engagement, retention, and quality, ensuring alignment with production and distribution requirements.
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Multi-site standardization: A consistent labor model across plants and distribution centers supports scalability, compliance, and predictable performance across the network.
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Integrated workforce planning: Contingent and full-time labor are planned together based on throughput targets, volume forecasts, and operational priorities, allowing organizations to scale efficiently while maintaining productivity.
This approach to labor support is already being applied across manufacturing and distribution environments. In large-scale distribution networks, Eclipse Advantage has embedded on-site workforce teams across multi-location operations, providing consistent recruiting, onboarding, and daily workforce management to support fluctuating volume and network-wide scalability.
In manufacturing settings, Eclipse Advantage’s on-site staffing model has helped stabilize production operations, addressing labor shortages, improving attendance and retention, and aligning workforce levels with daily throughput requirements. Across multi-plant environments, this approach has supported new shift launches and ensured consistent labor performance through embedded workforce leadership.
3. Volume Trends, Workforce Challenges, and Opportunities for Additional Support
Manufacturing and distribution networks continue to face persistent workforce challenges, including high turnover in physically demanding or specialized roles, unpredictable volume fluctuations, and labor shortages in increasingly competitive markets.
At the same time, these challenges present opportunities to rethink how labor is planned and deployed. Organizations can strengthen operations by:
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Leveraging scalable labor pools to respond quickly to volume spikes
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Using workforce planning and performance data to anticipate demand
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Deploying skill-specific supplemental teams to address immediate production or distribution gaps without overextending permanent staff
When supported by an operationally aligned contingent workforce model, this proactive approach helps stabilize daily operations, maintain throughput, and support workforce engagement even during periods of high volatility.
4. Eclipse Advantage Capabilities: Large-Scale Temporary Workforce Programs and Productivity-Based Delivery Models
Eclipse Advantage offers comprehensive contingent workforce solutions that help organizations manage scale, cost, and performance:
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Large-scale temporary workforce deployment: Rapidly mobilize hundreds or thousands of workers (Industrial Athletes) across production and distribution networks.
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Productivity-based cost per unit (CPU) models: Align labor costs with output, improving operational visibility and accountability.
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Embedded on-site teams: Supervisors and HR embedded at client sites to ensure engagement, retention, and operational compliance.
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Strategic workforce planning: Forecasting, scheduling, and site-specific labor alignment to optimize resource utilization across multi-site operations.
These capabilities allow organizations to turn contingent labor into a measurable operational advantage, ensuring efficiency, cost control, and consistent performance.
Building a More Resilient Workforce Model
The future of manufacturing and distribution operations depends on flexible, strategically deployed labor solutions. Contingent workers, when proactively managed and aligned with performance metrics, provide the scalability, reliability, and efficiency organizations need to meet both current demands and future challenges.
By embedding workforce management into daily operations, leveraging predictive planning, and utilizing performance-driven labor models, organizations can maintain consistent throughput, adapt to fluctuations, and ensure high-performing operations across production and distribution environments. Eclipse Advantage helps organizations achieve this by providing embedded workforce management, scalable staffing solutions, and performance-aligned labor models tailored to each facility’s unique operational needs.