Made In Cookware

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Made In Cookware Streamlines Order Fulfillment With On-Demand Labor

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In today’s hyper-competitive consumer landscape, speed and quality are critical differentiators. Customers expect fast delivery and a flawless unboxing experience—without exception. For Made In Cookware, a premium brand that provides restaurant-quality cookware to both culinary professionals and home chefs, meeting those expectations profitably is non-negotiable.

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That’s why, when the team decided to bring fulfillment in-house after previously relying on a 3PL, they reimagined their entire operational strategy.

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Their goal was clear: maintain industry-leading turnaround times, scale dynamically with demand, and reinvest labor cost savings into innovation and growth. To achieve this, they partnered with Veryable to embed on-demand labor at the heart of their Selma, Texas distribution center (DC).

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*some quotes have been altered slightly to enhance clarity

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Restructuring Operations with On-Demand Labor At The Center

Made In launched its Selma, TX distribution center in January 2023. The shift from a Kentucky-based third-party logistics provider (3PL) to in-house fulfillment was a bold move aimed at improving service quality, owning the customer experience, and gaining greater operational control. But it came with one major challenge: how to staff a fulfillment center for a business characterized by intense seasonality and project-based workflows, without overcommitting to fixed labor costs.

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Rather than building a large, static full-time team, Made In structured its new facility around a lean, agile model. Just three full-time employees—all in management roles—support the entire operation. The rest of the workforce? Sourced dynamically through Veryable’s on-demand labor marketplace.

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“It was more just as we built this business, trying to figure out where we were gonna source our labor from,” explained Wilson Duke, Warehouse Director at Made In. “Veryable approached us, and their on-demand model felt like a very 2023 solution. We gave it a try—and it just kept working.”

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Scaling Up—And Down—With Ease

Made In’s partnership with Veryable began with a small kitting project, which proved to be the perfect test case. The bid received a strong response, operators arrived on time, and the team knocked out the project efficiently. This early success helped the team feel confident in moving forward with the platform.

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"We started out with a project here, and, gave us a good try to see how the Veryable process worked for bidding out for operators & stuff," said Albert Kelly, Outbounds manager. "We had a great take of our bid, and, everyone showed up on time. We'd knocked out the project that we were trying to do and really gave us a good feeling about the direction we were going. So we just started spooling up from there."

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Made In’s DC now has built a flexible labor pool of more than 60 trained operators, 20 of whom are used on a weekly basis and have become embedded members of the operational rhythm. This labor pool model allows the company to respond precisely to daily needs, forecasted spikes, or project-based demand such as:

• Holiday season order surges (Christmas, Memorial Day, Labor Day, etc.)

• Kitting projects for promotional or bundled products

• Labeling and reboxing inventory

• Product launches or flash sale fulfillment pushes

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"If from orders coming in from e commerce, definitely we see volume changes with that, but also we have projects where we do kit a lot of things here," said Kelly. “And then after the project's over with, we don't have to, you know, hang on to that additional labor."

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Training and Culture—Without Compromise

One of the biggest early concerns for Made In was training. Would on-demand workers require too much onboarding? Would they understand the nuances of a high-velocity fulfillment environment? Would they align with the company’s culture?

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Those fears quickly faded.

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“That was one of my fears early on—how much training would be needed,” said Duke. “But Veryable reassured us, and they were right. A majority of them have worked in a warehouse environment, and everybody just fit right in, and, we're able to put them to task, give them the instructions."

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In fact, the on-demand model has become so seamless that veteran operators from the Labor Pool now help train new arrivals, freeing up managers to focus on higher-level initiatives.

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“Working with the Veryable operators is just like working with full-time employees,” Duke added. "They could be our full time employees. I don't see really any difference. They all come in prepared."

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Cost Control That Fuels Growth

One of the most powerful outcomes of Made In’s new labor strategy has been the impact on cost. By using on-demand labor, the company has kept labor cost per unit exceptionally low—even during peak seasons—while preserving operational agility.

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“It’s all about keeping our cost per unit as low as we possibly can,” said Duke. “With the ability to throttle up and down, we avoid the cost of carrying a large static staff. And that lets us reinvest in other parts of the business—R&D, marketing, equipment.”

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In the past, a business like Made In with high seasonality would have to overhire, then struggle through low-volume months. Now, Made In brings in exactly the number of people needed—no more, no less. When a project or season ends, the labor spend ends with it.

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“It’s a model that just makes sense,” said Kelly. “We don’t have to hold onto excess labor when things slow down. And when we need help fast, it’s just a few clicks away.”

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A Seamless Partnership That Delivers

Made In’s management team describes their relationship with Veryable not as vendor-client—but as a true partnership.

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"I treat it definitely more of a partnership," says Duke. "I think anybody who's had dealings with other solutions can be a little bit slow to respond and react to issues that you might be having, but the Veryable crew from the local guys and the regional guys have always been very, you know, picking up the phone. And, calling us to check-in or vice versa."

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Posting an opportunity is as easy as opening the app and selecting a few settings. Bids roll in quickly, and the team has the flexibility to choose who fits best for the job—whether it’s a large group for peak holiday shipping or a few hands for a light week of relabeling.

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Results That Speak for Themselves

Since launching the Selma facility and embracing an on-demand labor model, Made In has achieved:

• Consistent outperforming of its former 3PL in both speed and accuracy

• Labor cost reductions by eliminating overstaffing and overtime reliance

• A 60+ member Labor Pool trained to operate at high standards with minimal onboarding

• Scalable fulfillment operations that keeps pace with demand without sacrificing margins

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Conclusion: A Blueprint for the Modern Fulfillment Center

Made In Cookware’s fulfillment center in Selma, TX, is more than just a warehouse—it’s a case study in what operational excellence looks like in the age of eCommerce. By building a flexible labor pool, they’ve created a labor model that responds fast, scales efficiently, and keeps overhead costs in control.

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This isn’t just the future of fulfillment. It’s happening now. And it’s working.