Six ways Lean 5S shadow boards will help improve your continuous improvement initiative

As a reliable designer and provider of shadow boards, tool shadow boards, cleaning stations, and management boards, we have long expressed the benefits that our products will bring to our customers. It is well documented that people respond to images faster than words, so we happily work to that principle to ensure successful visual management for every request.

That successful implementation can result in a number of operational benefits, but we’ve condensed them down to six of the most important. They are safety, space, productivity, defective items, increased workplace moral and our own unique approach.

Safety

We will start with what is arguably the most important factor of all. When our shadow boards are introduced to workplaces, this means that tools are accounted for and left in safe areas, not on the floor or in other spaces where they can potentially cause harm to employees.

The organisation of tools and equipment contributes to less workplace accidents, which will make your employees feel more confident and safer, boosting their morale and output. After all, a happy workforce is a productive workforce! Furthermore, if your team remain healthy thanks to a shadow board, there will be more people available to complete jobs and increase output.

Space

By adding tools to your Lean 5S shadow boards, this frees up space elsewhere around your premises that can be used more effectively for other needs. In turn, this can increase your profit levels if you use that space to stock more products, or use it for training the future of your business etc.

Several studies have shown that clutter can slow down manufacturing, leading to mistakes and therefore low quality output. Remember, “a place for everything and everything in its place”.

Productivity

As mentioned previously, if tools and equipment can be found mounted on a Lean 5S shadow board, this reduces the amount of time spent looking for tools around workplaces. This in turn leads to more time spent working, therefore increasing productivity and your bottom line.

At the end of the day, that is the goal of our shadow boards: to help our customers with a small change that can make a huge difference. Making tools more accessible means you can complete your jobs sooner rather than having to search for them.

Defective items

Because our Lean 5S shadow boards are designed to be prominent, it is clear when an item is missing. Whether it has been lost or damaged, this will alert you to the situation, and help you to prevent a fall in production or stoppages due to faulty equipment.

Once the equipment has been replaced or fixed, it can be added to the shadow board and form part of a company’s repertoire, meaning business can carry on as usual.

Increased workplace morale

By implementing the tried and tested 5S system, it will reduce the odds of companies having unkempt, disorganised workplaces. If workplaces are not kept clean and there is no end in sight for it, this can heavily damage morale among employees. Our shadow boards are proven to keep workplaces clean and organised, meaning your employees will feel at ease and have smiles on their faces thanks to an easier, more fluid workspace. And don’t underestimate the impact your branding can have on company culture and making employees feel proud of their place of work. We ensure all of our products abide by your specific brand guidelines.

Lean approach

Our shadow boards and production boards, if used correctly, will allow our customers to reap the benefits of an organised and clean workspace. So that we can assess your business and decide on what is the best solution to maximise your efficiency, we can provide a site visit. From there, our design team can provide unlimited revisions to ensure that logos, text, branding and functionality are all captured, providing a bespoke service and bespoke product.

If we give every customer the same solution, it won’t work for everyone. Our care and attention to your needs will allow you to benefit from the ideal shadow board, including full branding and designs related to each specific tool.

Currently, even though Covid-19 has driven a lot of us away from our workplaces, the hope of vaccines is slowly taking us back to normality. Now is the ideal time to consider your continuous improvement initiatives and the wellbeing of your staff. If you are looking to maximise your productivity and save money, contact Lean 5S Products today, or request a free quote here.