Tl;dr: This case study shows how Wells Lamont reduced order management time by 71%, improving efficiency and freeing up capacity through order management automation and supply chain process automation.
In fast-moving manufacturing and distribution operations, order management automation is essential to improving order processing efficiency and reducing operational strain. Wells Lamont, the leading glove company founded in 1907 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, has built its reputation on delivering durable, high-performance gloves to industrial, construction, and consumer markets. As the business scaled, the planning team found that manual order processing was increasingly limiting their ability to operate efficiently. To address this, Wells Lamont implemented supply chain process automation to streamline workflows and improve performance.
Manual order management is one of the most common operational bottlenecks in supply chains. Automation is key to improving efficiency and scalability.
Matt Crist, leading Wells Lamont’s planning efforts, recognized that the manual approach, consuming 4–10 hours per week, was both tedious and prone to delays. Streamlining order management became critical not only for operational efficiency, but also to ensure accurate, timely fulfillment that sustained customer trust.
The Challenge of Manual Order Management
Wells Lamont was missing order management automation and it made processes time-intensive and difficult to scale:
- Time-intensive processes consuming 4–10 hours per week
- Risk of errors due to repetitive manual input
- Limited scalability as order volume increased
- Difficulty freeing up team capacity for higher-value planning tasks
The company needed a solution that would reduce manual effort, increase accuracy, and allow the planning team to focus on strategic priorities.
Implementing Order Management Automation with Intuendi
Matt led the implementation of Intuendi’s order management automation tools, creating a workflow that integrated seamlessly with daily planning activities. This approach allowed the team to:
- Reduce time spent on order processing to 1–3 hours per week
- Minimize errors and inconsistencies in order handling
- Standardize processes across the team
- Free capacity for higher-value tasks, such as strategic inventory and demand planning
By automating routine tasks, Wells Lamont turned order management from a bottleneck into a streamlined operation that supported faster, more reliable fulfillment.
The Results
The transformation delivered measurable improvements:
- Order management time reduced by 71% (7 → 2 hours/week)
- Increased accuracy and consistency in daily order processing
- Enhanced team capacity for strategic planning
The company could now process orders efficiently without adding headcount, improving both operational speed and reliability.
The Advantage Gained
Through proactive leadership and the strategic adoption of Intuendi, Wells Lamont transformed order management from a time-consuming operational task into a streamlined, predictable process. The team now spends less time on repetitive work and more on strategic planning, ensuring faster, more accurate fulfillment and supporting continued growth.
