Sectors / Manufacturing / Colorman Ireland – Process Improvement Case Study
Colorman Ireland: Bridging the production-to-warehouse gap
An employee identified that there was zero communication between Production and the Warehouse when jobs were complete — causing delays, wrong priorities, and unnecessary forklift trips across three plants.
Manufacturing / Print & Packaging
LeanPlus (EI)
Dublin, Ireland
3 plants
Production facilities with no warehouse communication
Zero
Communication from Production when jobs completed
Prioritised
Customer orders now scheduled ahead of stock jobs
No communication between Production and Warehouse across three plants
An employee at Colorman Ireland identified a significant communication gap between Production and the Warehouse. The company operates three production plants with the Warehouse located across the road.
When a job was completed in Production:
- It was simply left on the factory floor — no notification was sent to the Warehouse
- Warehouse staff had to keep checking the IT system to see if jobs were complete
- They then had to drive a forklift across the road to collect finished goods and bring them back for dispatch
- There was no communication about priority — whether a job was for immediate customer delivery or stock
- Stock jobs were being produced before customer orders due for delivery that day
- The result was wasted trips, delayed dispatches, and poor customer satisfaction
The employee saw an opportunity to improve customer satisfaction by creating a communication link between Production and Warehouse that would prioritise work and eliminate unnecessary trips.
From zero communication to a connected, prioritised workflow
Key Challenges
The team needed to:
- Create a communication system between Production and Warehouse
- Ensure Warehouse knows immediately when jobs are complete and ready for collection
- Prioritise customer delivery jobs over stock jobs
- Reduce unnecessary forklift trips between plants
- Address supporting issues: IT problems, access to production areas, labelling and scanner issues, staffing
The Lean Solution
Using the 8-Step Problem-Solving Process with a Kaizen event:
- Mapped the current process from job completion to dispatch
- Brainstormed with team members from Production and Warehouse using silent sharing
- Prioritised using an Impact/Ease chart — identifying production issues, IT problems, factory access, labelling/scanner issues and staffing as key areas
- Implemented a notification system so Warehouse is alerted when jobs are complete
- Created a priority system distinguishing customer delivery jobs from stock
- Established a daily schedule so Warehouse knows what to expect and when
“We are a big company with personal values. Attention to detail, stringent brand control, on-time delivery and reliability are cornerstones of our service levels.”
— Colorman Ireland
8-Step Problem-Solving Process
The Kaizen event was essential because it brought Production and Warehouse staff together for the first time to discuss their shared workflow — revealing that neither side fully understood the other’s constraints.
Problem
Zero communication from Production to Warehouse. Jobs left on factory floor. Stock produced before customer orders. Unnecessary forklift trips.
Current State
Mapped the full flow from job completion to dispatch. Warehouse staff checking IT system repeatedly and driving across to three separate plants.
Target
Real-time notification when jobs complete. Priority system for customer vs stock. Reduce unnecessary trips. Improve customer satisfaction.
Root Cause
Kaizen event: no communication system, no priority differentiation, IT issues, access problems, labelling inconsistencies.
Countermeasures
Notification system implemented. Priority scheduling created. IT and access issues addressed. Labels and scanners standardised.
Implementation
Changes rolled out across all three production plants. Warehouse now receives timely notification and priority information.
Evaluation
Customer orders now prioritised over stock. Unnecessary trips reduced. Better communication between departments. Customer satisfaction improved.
Standardisation
New process documented and standardised across all plants. Daily schedule established. Ongoing monitoring of dispatch performance.
Connected plants, prioritised dispatches
The project bridged the communication gap between Production and Warehouse:
- Customer orders now prioritised. The scheduling system ensures delivery-critical jobs are produced and collected before stock replenishment — directly improving on-time delivery.
- Warehouse notified immediately. Production now communicates job completion, eliminating the need for Warehouse staff to repeatedly check the IT system.
- Unnecessary trips reduced. With advance visibility of what’s coming, Warehouse can plan efficient collection routes rather than making speculative trips to check.
- Cross-departmental understanding improved. The Kaizen event revealed that Production and Warehouse had been operating as isolated silos — the new communication system creates a shared view.
- Willingness to try. The team embraced experimentation — willing to try processes and decide whether they were worth keeping, rather than insisting on perfection from day one.
Learnings
- Communication gaps between departments are often invisible until you bring both sides together — the Kaizen event made the disconnect undeniable.
- The simplest improvement (notifying Warehouse when a job is done) had the biggest impact — it didn’t require new technology, just a new practice.
- Priority scheduling is a cultural change as much as a process change — Production needed to understand why customer orders should take precedence.
- Willingness to experiment was key — the team tried processes out and decided whether they were worth keeping, which built confidence in the new approach.
The simplest fix had the biggest impact
This project is a reminder that not every improvement requires technology or investment. The core fix — telling the Warehouse when a job is done and whether it’s for a customer or stock — is essentially a communication practice, not a system. But the impact on customer satisfaction, dispatch efficiency and cross-departmental working was significant.
LeanTeams has worked with Colorman Ireland through the Enterprise Ireland LeanPlus programme. You may also be interested in: Under/Over Production and Lean Time Management.
Lean tools applied in this case study
Get results like Colorman Ireland
Our Lean training programmes help businesses across Ireland reduce waste, improve processes, and build a culture of continuous improvement.
More Case Studies
Explore our manufacturing case studies.