Why 5S?

5S is often one of the first lean manufacturing processes companies implement on their continuous improvement journey. The first steps are simple and build on the success of previous ones with the goal of gradual culture change towards lean manufacturing best practices. 

For example, launching a plant wide “Sort” day at your facility is an easy win. You will remove clutter, institute proper storage of materials and tools, and can take “before and after” photos that visually document the improvements you’ve made. This impressive documentation will align the team around the benefits of 5S and help with buy-in for next steps. 

If you are uncertain whether 5S is right for your facility ask yourself and your team the following questions:

• Do people in your workplace struggle to locate documents or files, whether in physical or digital format?
• Are there loose, sagging electrical cables in the workplace?
• Are there files, drawers, and cabinets that are unlabeled, or do they contain unmarked content that is hard to identify?
• Is valuable space taken up by useless items?
• Are there papers in your workplace that are not used and are gathering dust?
• Does everybody know how to keep the workplace organized and are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities?

If the answer was “yes” to one or more of these questions you may find 5S to be very beneficial to your organization.