Start 5S

To start 5S, it is first beneficial not to push on into SORT immediately especially if staff are sceptical of the latest management fad to be implemented are their expense:

•Using the 5S Current Action Board, shown in figure 1, ask each member of the group (1 Action Board per group/area) what they wasted their time doing over the last week.

•Ask the group for a solution to the problem, do not propose one yourself unless their really stuck

•Work the board assigning responsibility and deadlines for implementation

•Do this at least twice and make sure it doesn’t take too long, then push on into SORT & 5S properly

 

Sort: Items are removed from the work area into a “red tag” area, in the process each item is red tagged, detailing why it was removed, by who and when. This red-tag area has an agreed upon life time in which red-tag items are available and can be removed if required. Once the time has expired, sell what you can (ebay helps) and chuck the rest. Being relentless is advised since the workforce will be watching to see if this is the latest fad.

Set: With only the necessary equipment present in the work area, the concept is

•To pareto the equipment so that the most used items are the closest to where they are needed

•To signpost these positions, in a very obvious and over the top manner so that at a glance it is apparent that something is missing or out of place, the signage should be sufficient for someone new to the area to be able to work out where everything should go:

•Floor tape can be used to mark out floor positions; you may want to change your mind later;

•Shadow boards can be used for tooling etc

•A “map” detailing the layout of the area 

 

Shine: With everything in its optimum place and well signposted, its time to clean up the work environment, this step can have a dramatic visual impact

•Ensure the place is light, airy and well lit, this ensures that any problems are easily noticed, it’s pleasant to work in and nice to show to customers.

•Paint can be used to make an area brighter and different colours can be used to make different product variants obvious.

•“5 min” shine activities, prevents the build up dirt and maintains the orderliness of the area. Let the staff define their own 5 min shine routines, by challenging them to maintain the improved conditions. 5 min shine activities do not have to take 5 minutes and actual times will be dependent upon individual circumstances.

•Ownership of equipment by operators should be encouraged; the final goal of shine activities is to have operators doing their own preventative maintenance on their own machines and equipment, this is then integrated into the “5 min” daily activities.

 

•Automating the cleaning is a goal and staff should be encouraged to use their resourcefulness to automate any cleaning activities.

Standardise: Through maintaining the gains made in sort, set and shine the gains are effectively standardised and the bad old days are avoided. Drawing up a schedule of activities is effective in ensuring staff understand what needs to be done, when, where and how. Integration of 3S activities into daily work through standardisation will ensure that 3S conditions are maintained rather than re applied as 3S conditions are seen to be slipping. 5S patrols (see below) can be used to help staff gauge their own successfulness in improving the area and maintaining those improvements. Permanent sort set and shine leads to permanent standardisation.

Sustain: Making 5S an automatic habit is the goal of the sustain element however it differs from the previous S’s in that it is not directly measurable nor implemented through a “set” number of techniques. Rather by winning hearts and minds through the previous S’s we ensure that an improvement culture with a positive attitude prevails and improvements are sustained.