BEENA EDWARD

MSW HRM
 5
S
The 5S system is a lean manufacturing tool that improves workplace efficiency and

eliminates waste. The 5S Methodology has exploded in other areas of quality

improvement including total productive maintenance, the visual workplace, the Just-In-

Time (JIT) process, and Lean manufacturing.

The core principles of 5S involve creating and maintaining

Visual order

Organization

Cleanliness

Standardization
 The Origins of 5S
THE TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM

It was Sakichi Toyoda and son Kiichiro as well as Toyota

engineer Taiichi Ohno who developed the 5S methodology or

what they called the Total Production System of TPS after

World War II.

The three Toyota representatives looked at both Ford Motor

Company’s assembly lines and the

inventory process at the supermarket chain Piggly Wiggly. Through analysis at Ford, they did notice

waste along with workers who had to wait for one step to be completed which resulted in layoffs and

rehiring. At Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, their inventory system of ordering only what was needed

based on demand helped them understand and implement the Just-In-Time or JIT process into the 5S

methodology.
TOYOTA’S SYSTEM COMES TO BE CALLED “LEAN PRODUCTION”

 Toyota’s production methods were culturally bound and were not

transferrable to other countries

The ultimate tipping point in favor of widespread adoption of Toyota’s system

arrived with a book called The Machine that Changed the World.

5S BECOMES A POPULAR LEAN TOOL

Companies around the world wanted to know exactly what Toyota was doing

that gave it a leg up on its competitors.

The 5S’s: Five Keys to a Total Quality Environment, published by Takashi

Osada in 1991 and Hiroyuki Hirano’s 5S method titled 5 Pillars of the Visual
 7S
1. Sort - All unneeded tools, parts and supplies are
removed from the area
2. Set in Order - A place for everything and everything is
in its place
3. Shine - The area is cleaned as the work is performed
4. Standardize - Cleaning and identification methods are
consistently applied
5. Sustain - 7S is a habit and is continually improved
6. Safety - Improved safety
7. Spirit - Reliance on the people factor
 TOOLS FOR
7S

Shadow Boards Floor Markings Signs

Labeling Industrial printers 5S Tags

7S Examples
 7S Examples

BEFORE AFTER
7S
Examples