Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By
implementing 5S system in your workplace and following it, you can perform your task
efficiently and effectively. This technique will help improving quality of products. It deals with
planning for house-keeping.
What is 5S?
5S is an essential lean tool. 5S is a term formed with the initial letters of 5 Japanese words –
1. Seiri,
2. Seition,
3. Seiso,
4. Seiketsu and
5. Shitsuke
The thumb rule followed here is red tagging. Red tags are attached to unneeded items during sort
phase. Unnecessary stuff piled impedes flow of work and increases hassles. Remember this
quote - if in doubt, throw it out
Implementation: You can start sorting by taking photographs of your workplace and shop floor.
Collect photographs of the unneeded items and present to higher authorities. Use red tag method
and sort all needed and unneeded items. Remove unneeded items from your work area. Thus you
can make your workplace spacious and junk-free.
After sorting, organize what is left along the three dimensions, i.e. along X, Y & Z axis for easy
access .The objective of Seiton (set in order) is transparency. Anyone can find necessary items
when needed if things are stored/kept in organized way.
Implementation: Give numbers, names, color code, etc. to the items being stored. Define place
for each item and mark the place. Place items in order for storing each item depending on
frequency of usage. Establish a method of storage with X, and Y alignments (forward/backward
movements).
Team spirit is raised by a clean, well-ordered workplace, where S1 and S2 have already freed
floor and shelf space. In other words, do not wait until the work space gets dirty.
It standardizes housekeeping rules. You have to develop standards for how you do your work.
Your standards should be develop and applied to measure work. Seiketsu therefore works at
developing and applying standards for S1, S2, and S3.
Implementation: Prepare a 5S scorecard for workplaces and standard checking schedule. For
example a 5 minute, end of shift 5S .This ensures that employees would handover their work
area in a good condition to the next shift. The last 5 minutes of end of shift will result in
increased productivity by the following shift as the mess is cleared and no mess is there and
higher output.
This aims at maintenance of S1, S2 and S3 (Sorting, Set in order and shining workplace and
equipment). There is no point in cleaning when we cannot maintain it. Once the standards and
methods are set, administration look into it to maintain the same and review it time to time. Or
you can build 5S team leader on follow up things.
Implementation: Responsibilities are divided and delegated to area and zonal leaders for
monitoring 5S activities. Employees should be given freedom of expression, which could result
in improvised methods of doing the work. Prime aim is to maintain the disciplined work
environment.
5S naturally leads to Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). TPM is the key to machine stability
and effectiveness.
Benefits of 5S
Organized workplace
Improved employee performance
Improved product / service quality
Improved visibility of items and equipment