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Nautical Manufacturing & Fulfillment is a full-service 3PL provider based in the Kansas City Metro Area, specializing in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and marketing production services. Since 2017, Nautical has been delivering best-in-class solutions, helping businesses streamline operations, optimize supply chains, and scale efficiently. With a focus on quality and reliability, Nautical has built a reputation as a trusted partner in the ever-evolving world of third-party logistics.
Throughout the first five years of business, Nautical worked with 11 different local staffing agencies throughout Kansas City. These agencies weren’t able to provide Nautical with the right staff for their projects, leading to a bevy of ongoing staffing issues, ballooning staffing costs, and profitability-killing low efficiency.
“When we were working with 11 different staffing agencies, communicating with all the staffing agencies was my job. Now by working with one strong staffing partner, running the warehouse efficiently is my job.”
Before partnering with Staffing By Starboard, Nautical faced a major challenge with its previous staffing agencies: unqualified and unvetted workers. Many individuals arrived at the warehouse with little to no understanding of the job, the company, or even their basic responsibilities. In some cases, workers were simply told to show up without proper onboarding or preparation.
This lack of screening and communication led to an alarming turnover rate, driving up costs and severely impacting efficiency. Without reliable and committed workers, Nautical struggled to maintain productivity, forcing them into a constant cycle of hiring, training, and replacing staff.
Nautical’s Turnover Rates (Before Staffing By Starboard):
High turnover was a primary contributor to lost efficiency, a core challenge Nautical critically needed to solve. The company’s utilization rate—a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures how efficiently a resource (such as employees, machines, or logistics assets) is being used compared to its total available capacity—had dropped to just 25-30%, meaning the majority of available labor hours were going to waste. This also forced Nautical to rely on overtime to complete projects, peaking at nearly $50,000 in overtime costs per month.
One key example of this inefficiency problem involved a project requiring 70 workers. Although the headcount needs were met, the project still lagged behind schedule. The root issues became clear: many workers placed on the job lacked a positive attitude toward their roles and showed little interest in improving day-to-day processes. Nautical was left cleaning up avoidable mistakes, which drained time and resources. Without a team invested in the work or motivated to contribute beyond the bare minimum, productivity suffered—and progress stalled.
A lack of proper vetting and accountability left the responsible teams unmotivated and unproductive. Additionally, no on-site recruiters were available to assist with managing or replacing underperforming workers. This resulted in an inability to handle terminations or bring in qualified replacements, even when it was clear that an employee wasn’t working out.
Another problematic issue that Nautical faced was an inability to maintain a strong company culture. The constant stream of unqualified workers created instability and a lack of team cohesion, making it nearly impossible to sustain a committed, productive, and reliable labor force.
Key challenges included:
These high turnover issues resulted in significant financial losses from wasted employee onboarding, training, and managing costs. Nautical estimated that nearly 40% of all labor costs were wasted during this period. Every lost worker resulted in losses that couldn’t be recouped.
Key cost drivers included:
Instead of building a skilled, long-term workforce, Nautical was trapped in a cycle of continuously training replacements, wasting time and money on workers who never stayed long enough to make a meaningful impact.
“Before, I had to communicate our needs to 11 different people across multiple agencies. This fragmented process diluted our feedback and slowed our progress in finding and retaining the right workers.”
Nautical worked with Staffing By Starboard to help improve its staffing strategy. A new approach focused on three key areas: closely vetting candidates, providing ongoing support throughout placement, and actively listening to feedback from Nautical’s managers and leadership. By prioritizing these elements, the agency was able to ensure a more reliable workforce, stronger communication, and a staffing process built for long-term success.
One of the biggest changes Staffing By Starboard implemented was a thorough vetting process to ensure only the right candidates were placed at Nautical. Instead of simply filling roles with anyone available, Starboard focused on quality over quantity, ensuring that every worker was properly screened and prepared before stepping onto the warehouse floor.
Key improvements included:
Placing the right candidates was just the first step—ensuring they succeeded in their roles at Nautical was just as important. We take a hands-on approach to supporting workers throughout their placement, providing the guidance and resources they need to thrive.
Key ways we support our candidates:
Most staffing agencies only provide on-site support for high-volume clients—typically those with 50 or more workers. At Starboard, we take a different approach. No matter the size of your staffing needs, we’re committed to providing hands-on support. Our recruiters are available to be on-site throughout the duration of contracts, ensuring both businesses and employees have the guidance and assistance they need to succeed.
A successful staffing partnership goes beyond just filling positions—it requires continuous adaptation. From the start, Staffing by Starboard prioritized open communication with Nautical’s HR and operations teams, allowing better alignment through a shared understanding of their evolving workforce needs. By actively listening to feedback, the staffing agency fine-tuned its approach to deliver better results.
Nautical’s leadership provided valuable insights on worker performance, skill gaps, and overall fit, allowing Staffing By Starboard to refine its recruiting strategy. Instead of a one-size-fits-all solution, they continuously adjusted the candidate selection process to align with Nautical’s diverse projects and operational demands.
After just 2 weeks of working with Nautical, Staffing By Starboard successfully staffed nearly 50 qualified workers across two shifts for Nautical’s largest contract packaging project. This led to Nautical experiencing zero production delays for the first time since the projects began.
Thanks to these improvements, Staffing By Starboard was trusted to increase its staffing footprint at Nautical, and has since staffed nearly 1,000 employees for the company. This improved approach resulted in better company culture, efficiency, and cost savings:
By fully vetting candidates and ensuring they were placed in roles where they could succeed, Staffing By Starboard helped Nautical dramatically reduce turnover. Before the partnership, Nautical faced 80-90% turnover every quarter, leading to constant rehiring and training costs. Now, turnover has dropped to just 30%—nearly 15% lower than the industry average—allowing for a more stable and reliable workforce.
Before partnering with Starboard, Nautical struggled with skyrocketing overtime costs due to a shortage of qualified staff. To keep up with deadlines, they had to rely on excessive overtime, peaking at nearly $50,000 per month. Since 2022, Staffing By Starboard has helped entirely eliminate overtime expenses while keeping projects completed on schedule.
Staffing consistency has led to a material improvement for Nautical’s fulfillment operations. By providing skilled, dependable workers, Staffing By Starboard has helped create cohesion and continuity, leading to significant improvements in team efficiency.
Nautical was required to overstaff projects to offset the continuous issues caused by unqualified workers arriving in its warehouse, which greatly drove up costs. By attracting and placing the right individuals, Staffing By Starboard helped them reduce the reliance on this crutch–Nautical was able to decrease overhead expenses by 50% without disrupting throughput.
As the partnership has grown, Nautical has relied on Starboard more and more as its go-to staffing agency for key projects. Staffing By Starboard’s ability to quickly source and place qualified workers has been crucial to keeping operations running smoothly.
Major projects Staffing By Starboard has staffed include:
With a vast network of pre-qualified candidates, we fill positions faster than many staffing agencies—sometimes as quickly as the next day, depending on the project.
At Staffing By Starboard, we don’t just fill positions—we build workforces that last. By closely vetting candidates, providing ongoing support, and adapting to client feedback, we create tailored staffing solutions that drive efficiency, reduce turnover, and strengthen company culture. Whether you need a flexible workforce for short-term projects or long-term staffing support, we’re here to help. Partner with Starboard today and experience a smarter, more reliable way to staff your business.
816-659-1544 | [email protected] | 16100 W 116th St, Lenexa, KS 66219