5S – It’s More Than a Clean and Tidy Workplace

The lean manufacturing principle known as 5S is based on Henry Ford’s CANDO system developed in the early 20th century. The Japanese refined and popularized the methodology in the 1950’s as they formalized their Toyota Production System. The 5S methodology made its way to American manufacturing, specifically the automotive industry, in the 1980’s.

In current times, manufacturing companies across many industries use 5S as the foundation of their lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives. As a refresher, let’s summarize the steps involved in the 5S methodology and their corresponding Japanese terms:

Sort (Seiri) - Removing unnecessary tools, parts, and instructions, leaving only essential items in all workstations.

Set In Order (Seiton) - Organizing the workstation efficiently to promote a logical workflow and reduce time spent retrieving items.

Shine (Seiso) – Keep the workstation swept and clean.

Standardize (Seiketsu) – Write standard procedures that can be implemented throughout the facility in all workstations.

Sustain (Shitsuke) – Consistently apply and improve the first four 5S standards.

In some manufacturing companies, hourly employees view these tasks as mere busy work and if management doesn’t properly train, encourage and enforce the methodology the workforce can become cynical and view it like a parent harping on their kids to “keep their rooms clean”. Many companies don’t believe or realize that 5S can, in fact, contribute to their bottom line in many indirect ways. On the surface, employees keeping their workstations clean and tidy may not seem like a huge cost saving or profit boosting discipline, but this is a short-sighted view.

By incorporating a strong 5S program, you can help build a culture of pride and accountability within your workforce. Nobody wants to work in a dirty, unorganized environment so having buy-in from the top down can help an organization thrive. The key is to have accountability for ALL employees. If some employees get away without doing their part, then other employees will lose faith in their management and the culture will suffer. When employees are proud of their workplace and know what is expected of them, they can perform at their best. This culture is what can lead to lower cycle times, less waste in materials/movements/scrap and in turn, a more profitable bottom line.

Now that we’ve discussed why implementing a robust 5S program is important, let’s look at how to get started and some important “DOs” and “DON’Ts” so your program launch is successful.

1)    DO get a strong commitment from senior leadership, plant floor leadership and all salaried staff, because these are the people that will drive the program, audit it on a daily basis and help sustain/improve it along the way.

a)     DON’T try to force feed it to your organization without addressing their questions/concerns.

2)    DO provide comprehensive training to all employees on 5S methodology, including the meaning of each “S” and how the organization will roll it out. This includes the standard documentation that will be used on the plant floor, the visual management tools that will be used like shadow boards for tools, labels and signage, color coded floor tape to identify where different items go that are moveable (stationary machines don’t need floor tape).

a)     DON’T launch a program before training is complete and there is an adequate inventory of all supplies. Nothing frustrates employees more than having a new program rolled out, but NOT having adequate tools/supplies to launch it successfully.

3)    DO start with a pilot area in the plant. Choose an area that is a focal point in your operation which can be easily seen/audited on a daily basis by as many employees as possible. Work on the 5S program in this area for a few weeks to evaluate your implementation process, documentation protocols and make any necessary tweaks before rolling it out to the entire plant. Even when you’re ready to roll out the process to the entire plant, it is recommended that you go methodically, area by area or department by department to ensure standards are being followed.

a)     DON’T try to launch your entire manufacturing plant at once. This will lead to differences in roll-out from department to department and overall frustration with the process. It is not feasible to properly monitor/audit the whole plant’s 5S launch at the same time. DON’T pick a pilot area that’s in the back corner of the plant away from high visibility even if it’s the most important part of the plant.

In conclusion, a robust 5S program is the foundation of a sustainable continuous improvement culture that can lead to increased efficiency, productivity and both internal/external quality. By following the steps outlined above, your organization can successfully implement a 5S program that will help build a bright future for all your employees/stakeholders.