WHY IS IT BECOMING POPULAR AMONG COMPANIES IN JAPAN?

Simply because:

 Work place becomes better organized.

 Workplaces become clean.
 Shop floor and office operation become easier and safer.
 Results are visible to everyone- insider and outsider.
 Visible results enhance generation of more and new ideas.
 People are automatically disciplined.
 People become proud of clean and organized workplace
 Results in improved company image and generates more business,
 Better use of floor space
 Less work-in-process and inventories
 Better flow of work
 Happier employees with high morale and greater people involvement
 5S sets in a culture of discipline, lays a foundation for other improvement
programmes etc.

The reason of why 5S is becoming so popular in Japan and other countries is

that it is a people oriented and practice-oriented approach. It is based on the
belief that every individual can contribute to improving his workplace. Currently,
the majority of Japanese companies are practicing 5s, although they may call it
by some other term. As 5s requires mainly the physical efforts and discipline of
employees and not an understanding of complex theories, it is one area that a
company can embark on with full confidence of achieving success once
commitment has been made. It is a task that is every one’s responsibility.

One of the easiest ways to determine a company’s attitude towards improvement

is simply to walk around its premises and observe the housekeeping practices.
The reason is that good housekeeping is the first and essential step to
continuous quality and productivity improvement. Once we reorganize this link,
we can appreciate the need for good housekeeping. A company with good
housekeeping practices will have a good foundation for higher productivity,
higher quality, reduced costs, greater safety, higher employee morale, etc. In
contrast poor housekeeping practices can lead to disastrous outcomes like
industrial accidents, high labor turnover, high defect level and eventual loss of
clients.