Maximizing labor efficiencies and quality, while cutting costs in Just-in-Time additive manufacturing process

We custom design and fabricate 3d printed casts for fracture care, and deliver quickly to doctors and hospitals all over the country. Because of the custom nature of the product, our highest cost, by far, is labor. The labor required is skilled labor, so the staff is highly trained, and must be maintained a living wage to retain them. The nature of fracture care is that some days we may have 24 orders, and other days we have 2. But our staff remains overhead expense – which is expensive for a self-funded start-up. It is essential to maximize our labor efficiency and productivity and minimize our costs, which is hard with Just-in-Time, variable demand and quick turnaround time requirements, as we have to staff (and equip) for the peaks, and maintain our trained staff through the slow times.
In addition, quality control is very important on every device that is hand-finished. It’s important to have a second set of eyes and a QC checklist in place for every device, to make sure the product is flawless, shipping contents are complete, shipping is on-time, shipping costs are minimized, and it is sent to the right place.
Finally, our marketing expenses are high, since it is a new technology, and every doctor and sales rep wants a sample. Each sample must be hand-fabricated and finished as inventory, and then shipped at our expense, a small fraction of which result in a sale.
Determine the most effective staff scheduling/management process to ensure that on-demand orders are processed quickly and efficiently, and that staff time/labor is as effective as possible to maximize output and minimize overhead costs.
Determine key checks that must be done on the product, packaging contents and shipping method/address to minimize staff time and eliminate errors.
Find a cheaper shipping option for our marketing samples.
A staffing plan designed to retain trained staff while minimizing cost and turnaround times while maximizing productivity.
A QC procedure that is efficient and effective.
An inventory management plan for our marketing samples.
Better sample and small package shipping rates.