The 5S System is based on five Japanese words:
- Seiri - Sort (organize)
- Seiton - Set in Order (straighten)
- SeisĹŤ - Shine (cleanliness)
- Seiketsu - Standardize (consistency)
- Shitsuke - Sustain (discipline)
In non-Japanese speaking plants, 5S is more commonly referred to as:
- Sort: Remove everything that is not necessary to perform a task in your workspace. This is an exercise that should be done by every individual, not only on your immediate team or in your area, but by every single person in your facility in his or her own workspace. Yes, even carpet dwellers, aka office people.
- Set in Order: You've removed everything that was unnecessary. Now organize what remains. Neatly arrange and label parts and tools for greater ease of use.
- Shine: Clean it up! Literally. Again, start with your own immediate work area. You can't throw stones if you don't live in a clean glass house.
- Standardize: Kind of like the map, if they were all the same. Aha! While not all maps take you to the same destination, they all have the same basics and features in common. So, if you know how to use one map to guide you, you know how to use them all.
- Sustain: You've done it! Now keep it going and keep on keeping on! Think wet, lather, shampoo, rinse, condition, and repeat these steps as necessary going forward. You don't cook or eat one meal and think, "Well, that's done!" for the rest of your life, right? Same thing here. Do those steps, do them well, and do them in order. This is the pattern of repetition that makes it easy to Sustain.
These concepts are the very essence of Lean: the building blocks of Lean Manufacturing, the cornerstones upon which the foundation is built. Think of this as a map - you have a good idea of where you want to go. Taking the steps in a manner that makes sense is almost as important as the steps themselves.
How can L2L help your plan using the 5S system?
"If it's not in L2L, it didn't happen"
You and your teams have worked hard to make good things happen in your facility. You know how important it is to continue making improvements so that your operations and operators are more efficient. You find cost savings opportunities, work smarter, not harder, keep folks as safe as possible, and ensure the quality of your product that your customers count on.
Great! What does this have to do with 5S and how does L2L factor into the equation?
5S is an essential element of all improvement undertakings. You need a reliable and portable way to document this process:
- Capture the before state:
- What was the condition when you started?
- History: safety, quality, downtime
- Not just words think photos as well
- Log the main steps taken to 5S workspaces
- Can these measures be applied throughout?
- That's a different Support article, coming soon!
- The 5S Building Blocks
- Sort - did you? Neatness is next to well, you know.
- What do you really need to get the job done?
- Set in Order - Put it where it belongs, or get rid of it.
- Shine - Make this an easy and clean space to work in.
- Standardize - Everything in like circumstances should be alike. No voodoo going on. Transparent, repeatable.
- Sustain - Take every approach to make these as easy to maintain as possible.
- Sort - did you? Neatness is next to well, you know.
- Can these measures be applied throughout?
Here's where L2L comes in. No need to reinvent perfectly good wheels. L2L has the tools in place. Use them to make these changes apparent and readily available to everyone.
Checklists - to not only document the process but to ensure all your Is are dotted and your Ts are crossed.
Dispatches - Utilize 5S Dispatch Types for any tasks or projects that require outside assistance.
Work Orders - can be generated for larger projects that may require planning, working around production, or an engineering resource.
Using the built-in features of L2L will make 5S electronic, digital (no stacks of paper messing up your work areas), easy to track, immediately available, easy to share, and easy to acknowledge. Recognition is a great way to show appreciation for your team's efforts!
5S Training
A couple of things to keep in mind as you're poking around in 5S in Dispatch. We think 5S is such an important, fundamental step in your lean journey, we want everyone to get in there and really tear it up. Um, I mean, really get in there and use this often underappreciated tool in the most organized, productive way possible!
In 5S, you won't find all of the same settings as in other Modules or even other Lean Tools. There are no individual settings and fewer security restrictions than elsewhere. For example, if you want to Add a new 5S Project or edit an existing 5S Project, you can do that! Anyone in your facility with an account can.
Any account holder can edit the status to or from any of the following:
- New
- On Hold
- Sort
- Set in Order
- Shine
- Standardize
- Sustain
When a 5S Project is completed, you can change the status to Sustain, to indicate the Team has accomplished everything you wanted to for this particular 5S Project. *Note: Since most 5S Projects can almost certainly be improved upon at some point in the future, no 5S Project is ever really finished in the strictest sense of the word.
Just look at all the things any member of your team can do in 5S Projects:
- Edit (click this magic button to modify any/all of the following fields)
- Attach (Attachments)
- Add / Remove (Documents)
- Add (Actions)
- Add (Audit Notes)
- Notes - Add general, informational notes
5S is the ideal Lean Tool to start with. It's also a great way for every member of your team to make a legitimate contribution. It's often easier for newbies to see things that those of us who have been around for a minute overlook. "A fresh pair of eyes", you know.
- Your Team gets involved = WIN
- 5S Projects get a boost = WIN
- Your work areas are much more conducive to positivity and productivity = WIN + WIN