Stop the Madness! Implement 5S
Don’t just clean the mess, 5S!
Lean 5S’s stand for Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain and 5S is the most universal tool in the lean toolbox. The 5S methodology can be applied in every factory across the globe and it is guaranteed to make them all more productive. Whether you work in a job shop or a high-volume factory and regardless of the products you manufacture, 5S does work.
Before 5S is implemented, a common phrase spoken in a plant is, “clean-up, we have a tour coming through”. Then everyone scurries about cleaning the factory up for some VIP tour. Then after the tour, poor housekeeping practices return. And soon, it cycles back again.
Instead of pursuing this cycle of madness, implement a 5S approach. After implementing 5S, your plant will always be “tour ready” and it will operate more efficiently too. The time wasted looking for things is eliminated from your cost structure. You keep only what you need, where you need it and in the quantities that are required for production.
5S provides a sustainable method for shopfloor organization and housekeeping. With 5S everything and I mean everything in your factory has a specific and visual place for storage. Tools, parts, supplies and materials are stored in shadow locations. When something is missing, the shadow location screams back at you, “Replace Me!”
There is no place for dirt or clutter. In fact, dirt and clutter seem so out of place in a lean factory that these issues present themselves as a violation of your senses. Because of the visual nature of a 5S shop, everyone simply feels compelled to comply. Shift-to-shift handoffs become easy too because unacceptable conditions are visual and rare.
To implement 5S in your factory, start small. Choose a place that is visible when you first walk into your plant. Select a cross functional kaizen team of about 10-12 people. Do a little bit of training and then methodically progress through the 5S steps. Remember, this isn’t just another housekeeping event. This is a 5S journey.
5S is team-based because you need the horsepower of numbers. The more people you have, the more work you can get done. The team is cross-functional because you want outside eyes to challenge the norms that exist. And most importantly, you want team-based decisions. Often during normal housekeeping exercises, people don’t know where to put things, so they simply hide stuff in cabinets and dark corners. However, with 5S, this team-based, focused event provides the time and resources for decision-making. 5S is not about hiding stuff, it is about discovering issues, making decisions and providing a long-term solution for operational organization.
There is no doubt that 5S will make your plant more cost effective, efficient and enjoyable. And there is no other method of housekeeping that is as sustainable as 5S.
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