Shurtape’s Approach to Planning Drives Service and Efficiency Gains That Stick

At first glance, tape may seem like a simple product. But at Shurtape Technologies, a company known for powerful brands like FrogTape and T-Rex, meeting service expectations in a high-volume, high-SKU business is anything but simple. Just ask Kyle Stephens, Shurtape's Demand Manager. His team faced the same pressures many planning leaders know all too well: volatile demand, disconnected systems, slow reactions, and teams stretched thin.

Today, that transformation is showing clear results, including higher forecast accuracy, better fill rates, reduced compliance costs, and faster, more efficient processes. But it started, like many successful transformations do, with a mindset shift: treat the initiative as a blank canvas, involve every stakeholder, and focus on solving real business problems, not just digitizing old ones.

From volatility to opportunity

Shurtape’s wake-up call came during COVID. While demand surged in the retail business (consumers stuck at home took on DIY projects) industrial volumes slowed sharply. The split revealed a critical weakness: the organization struggled to see what was happening across the network and react with speed.

“We needed to provide visibility to our business partners and improve our ability to react,” Kyle said.

That meant building a more responsive, forward-looking planning capability quickly. Shurtape evaluated multiple vendors, but o9 stood out for two reasons: the platform’s flexibility and the depth of partnership on offer.

“We needed more than a system,” Kyle noted. “We needed a team to guide us toward full transformation—not just digital, but organizational.”

Reimagining planning from the ground up

Shurtape didn’t just implement o9. They treated the engagement as a business transformation. Together with o9, they mapped out a new approach across four areas: technology, process, people, and stakeholders. That holistic scope shaped everything that followed.

“We sat down with o9 and said, ‘Blank canvas. Let’s not assume we’re doing anything right or wrong—let’s build the best version of this from scratch.’”

That included designing roles around what future-ready planning would require—then going out and recruiting the right people to fill them. It also meant preparing the business for change. Shurtape conducted a “PR roadshow” to gather input from across the organization—from the plants to the executive suite—so the transformation would be built on shared ownership and real-world feedback.

Building capability, one step at a time

One lesson learned early: manage expectations. The team quickly saw that becoming “super users” from day one was unrealistic. But with strong stakeholder support and clear building blocks in place, Shurtape set a pragmatic path forward.

The o9 platform’s flexibility helped. That adaptability, paired with strong support and quick response times from o9’s team, meant Shurtape could steadily build capability and confidence. “It’s been a great partnership,” Kyle added. “They’re not just there to sell—they’re there to help.”

From five days to half a day

The results speak for themselves. One of the most dramatic improvements? Time spent on forecasting. Previously, running statistical models took five days and was only done once a quarter. Today, using o9’s exception-based forecasting, the team runs it monthly, and reviews take less than half a day.

Instead of reacting, planners are now managing by exception. And that shift in focus has ripple effects across the business.

Service levels have followed suit. Shurtape’s longstanding goal has been a 98% fill rate. In 2024, for the first time since the pandemic, they’re hitting that goal month over month, consistently.

“That’s incredibly hard to do in our business,” Kyle noted. “It means we’ve got the right inventory, in the right place, at the right time. And o9 is helping us do that.”

More than numbers: a cultural shift

Beyond the hard KPIs, the o9 transformation has changed how people at Shurtape work—and how they see each other. “In the past, planning sometimes felt like a tug-of-war with the rest of the business,” Kyle said. “Now, people see that we’re trying to help—and they helped us build it.”

By giving everyone a voice in the design phase, Shurtape generated buy-in. By defining roles clearly and hiring great people, they created a team that’s set up to succeed. And by working with a platform that reduces manual effort and provides real insight, they freed up time to focus on what matters most: the customer.

The numbers are strong—forecast accuracy, service levels, reduced compliance costs—but perhaps the most telling metric is the number of touches per order. Before o9, an order could be touched 40 times before fulfillment. Today, that figure is dropping fast.

“That’s real productivity gain,” Kyle said. “And it lets us focus on driving the business forward, not just fixing things after the fact.”

Lessons from the journey

Looking back, Kyle emphasizes a few key lessons for any organization starting their own journey:

• Don’t expect linear progress: “This isn’t a smooth curve. Some regions, some teams will move faster than others. That’s okay.”
• Set the right expectations: “Start with clear goals, but be realistic. This takes time.”
• Start with a blank canvas: “You can’t build a future-ready organization by digitizing old processes. Step back, and ask what you’d do if you were starting fresh.”
• Invest in people: “Roles matter. Talent matters. Build the team you need for the future—not just today.”

And finally, get started. “You don’t have to be ready. You just have to be willing to look at your business honestly—and take the first step.”

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