Bespoke 5S Shadow Boards - Graphic Warehouse

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Our Lean Manufacturing Journey...

We’ve been on a bit of a Lean manufacturing journey here at the factory.

And like most good journeys, it’s come with its fair share of learning curves, small wins, and—let’s be honest—a few “why did we do it that way?” moments.

One of the areas we’ve made real progress in is our 5S shadow boards, and we thought we’d share a bit about how we got there, with the hope it might be useful to someone else taking their first few steps (or even backtracking a little) on the same path.

When We Got It Wrong...

Let’s start with a confession: we didn’t always get it right.

At first, we tried designing shadow boards in a bit of a bubble—thinking we could map out what every department needed just by watching and guessing. The boards looked great on the wall, but they didn’t quite work in practice.

Tools weren’t where they needed to be, some slots never got used, and people were still improvising their own systems.

In other words, they weren’t really helping anyone.

What Changed Everything? Listening....

The turning point came when we started talking to the people who actually use the tools every day.

Instead of trying to design “the perfect system”, we asked operators, techs, and team leads what they needed from a shadow board. And wow—what a difference.

Each department had its own quirks and priorities. The production team wanted speed and simplicity. The maintenance crew needed flexibility. The sewing line had super-specific tool shapes and storage needs.

When we brought all of that into the design process, the boards stopped being generic and started being genuinely useful.

A Collaborative Process We approached it like this...

Talk first, design later – We had chats with each team about what tools they actually use, how often, and what gets in their way. We also looked at where things tend to “go missing” and why.
Make it visible – We mocked things up with tape and cardboard before committing to anything. Everyone had the chance to tweak, move, or veto ideas.
Start small – We tested the new boards in just one area. There were tweaks, naturally. But the feedback was so positive we quickly started rolling it out elsewhere—with each area shaping their own version.
Keep the conversation going – Just because the boards are on the wall doesn’t mean they’re finished. Teams still suggest changes and updates when things shift, and that’s exactly what we want.

Sustainability Through Ownership...

One of the biggest wins? Because the boards were built with the team, they’re used by the team—and maintained by the team.

That’s helped us actually sustain the improvements, instead of watching them slowly drift back to the old way.

It’s amazing how much more people engage with something they helped create.

Final Thoughts...

This was never just about tidy tools on a board. It’s been about creating a culture where improvement isn’t something handed down—it’s something we build together, department by department, person by person.

We’ve still got plenty of improvements ahead of us, and we’re still learning as we go—but if there’s one big takeaway from our experience, it’s this: if you want a shadow board that really works, don’t design it for your employees. Design it with them.

Thanks for following along—and if you’ve got your own shadow board wins (or disasters), we’d love to hear them!

Best regards,

Richard McCombe

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