Rethinking the process

Ruffwear is located in Bend in the US state of Oregon. The town of 62 000 inhabitants situated amid amazing mountains, deserts and rivers has succeeded in turning itself into a home for the outdoor industry. Ruffwear is part of this, a company that has developed into a world-leading manufacturer of high-quality outdoor products for dogs. 
The best materials, dependable workmanship, well thought-out functions and good design all form part of the Ruffwear philosophy with regard to its product development. To put these ambitious aims into practice, all canine products are developed by enthusiasts who enjoy spending time with their dogs in the great outdoors. 

Ruffwear's vision is to cultivate creativity. Plans to incorporate a co-working space within its headquarters in 2019 constitute one key initiative. The company is convinced that co-working spaces offer a chance to expose people to new ideas, bring overhead costs down for small businesses and freelancers, and exchange ideas between like-minded companies. "This co-working space is really a dream of ours. We're going to be remodelling our present building, and nearly 25 per cent of the space will be common areas where organic interactions can take place. We're envisioning flexible options for work - whether it's rolling up your sleeves at a desk, scheduling a private room for a big meeting, tinkering in the sewing room with samples, or heading down with your laptop to the cafe space," is how Ruffwear president Will Blount describes his company's ideas. 

Ruffwear takes an unconventional approach to the organisation of its manufacturing process too. In an effort to create a nimble and responsive supply chain, the company has achieved a 30-day manufacturing lead time (from purchase order to leaving the factory) on its bestselling product, the Front Range Harness. By leveraging long-term relationships with vendors and manufacturers, and investing its own dollars and time into the newly developed system, the company says it has reduced waste and improved cash flow by shrinking the amount of inventory it keeps on hand at any moment by 50 per cent. Yet even with fewer harnesses in the warehouse, the company stresses that it has been able to supply customers…