Power Tools & Woodworking
From a Week Behind to Caught Up by 1PM
After peak, Kreg Tool used to spend about a week catching up. Two projects with E2 later, the backlog is cleared the next day, on the same Infios WMS.
Your team came in and immediately understood our processes, how we were using our WMS. There wasn't a big time spent getting acclimated. That made the whole process a lot more efficient.Donovan, VP of IT, Kreg Tool
A New Facility and a WMS That Needed a Partner
Kreg Tool makes woodworking tools, from the pocket hole jig that started the company to a new line of battery-powered tools. When Kreg moved into its Ankeny, Iowa facility, it brought a conveyor-based pick-and-pack system and a new WMS. Things stabilized, but stabilized is not optimized.
"Launching a new WMS is complex enough. We got it stabilized, but then we realized there's a lot of efficiencies we could gain. That's when we found E2."
Donovan, VP of IT, Kreg ToolPack stations were not lean. Each single-line order got its own tote, so 100 orders meant 100 totes moving through the system. With direct-to-consumer orders alongside retail partners like Lowe's and Home Depot, peak season hit hard. Orders piled up from Thursday through Sunday, and the warehouse dug out until the following Wednesday or Thursday.
Simple Changes That Scale
E2 scoped two phased projects, both finished before Kreg's busiest season, plus lithium-ion shipping rules for the new battery line.
Pack Station Overhaul
Operators now build the box, scan the items in, and assign the LPN once at the end, instead of scanning every item to an LPN as it goes in. A box-size recommendation ends the carton guesswork.
Picking Redesign
New logic fills each tote with as many single-line, single-quantity orders as possible, 10 to 15 orders per tote. A packer scans an item, gets a box recommendation, packs, labels and repeats until the tote is empty. New operators can start without prior experience because the system guides each step.
Lithium-Ion Shipping
The battery line brought DOT lithium-ion rules: different ratings, different labels, and tools shipped with batteries versus batteries alone. E2 built those rules into the pack station, so the system shows which label to use and checks it before the box closes.
"The operators don't have to second guess. They don't have to understand the regulations. It's straightforward. We're 100% compliant at the end of the day."
Donovan, VP of IT, Kreg ToolPeak Season Went From Crisis to Routine
After Phase 1, catch-up ended Tuesday. After Phase 2, Kreg was caught up by the end of the first day.
| Measure | Before E2 | After Phase 1 | After Phase 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-peak catch-up | Until the following Wednesday or Thursday | End of Tuesday | End of day one |
| Orders per tote | 1 | — | 10 to 15 |
| Warehouse team | 22 to 26 people | Fewer | About 11 |
| Lithium-ion labels | Operator knowledge | — | Checked by the system |
"Before your changes, at peak, it would take us a week to get all the orders packed and shipped. After your changes, we were done by 1pm the following day."
Operations Manager, Kreg Tool"We were basically caught up at the end of day one. The expectation is we're going to ship to that customer on our next business day, and we're meeting that."
Donovan, VP of IT, Kreg Tool- Caught up the next day after peak, down from about a week
- 10 to 15 orders per tote, up from one
- From 22 to 26 people in the warehouse to about 11
- 100% compliant lithium-ion shipping, checked at the pack station
- New operators productive without prior experience
- A team that now solves smaller problems on its own
The Full Interview
Donovan, Kreg Tool's VP of IT, walks through peak season before E2, the changes, and where the numbers landed. About 20 minutes.
About Kreg Tool
- Founded
- 1989
- Headquarters
- Ankeny, Iowa
- Known for
- Pocket hole joinery and power tools
- Sells through
- Lowe's, Home Depot and direct to consumers
- WMS
- Infios WMS
- E2's work
- Pick redesign, pack station overhaul and lithium-ion shipping rules
Why It Worked
"It wasn't a 'here's your code, now go use it.' We wanted someone who would bring us along the journey. Our internal knowledge base grew through this partnership. We can now solve smaller problems ourselves."
Donovan, VP of IT, Kreg Tool
E2's team already knew the Infios platform, so the work started on day one. Every change was scoped to a result Kreg could measure at peak, and Kreg's own team learned the system along the way.
Let's Talk About Your Warehouse
If peak season still takes days to recover from, we will show you what it takes to fix it, without replacing your WMS.