🌟 Implementing 5S: Driving Efficiency and Excellence (Detailed Demonstration) 🌟

5S is one of the first tools that can be applied in a company that is starting down the path of a continuous improvement culture. A 5S implementation helps to define the first rules to eliminate waste and maintain an efficient, safe, and clean work environment. It was first popularized by Taiichi Ohno, who designed the Toyota Production System, and Shigeo Shingo, who also put forward the concept of poka-yoke.

Implementing 5S (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) is a strategic initiative that transforms workplaces into efficient hubs of productivity. Training is crucial, ensuring every team member understands and embraces these practices.

The most important element of implementing 5S or for that matter any new initiative is training for all to build the understanding and awareness of the concept and its usefulness. This is being driven by the 5S core team members or 5S committee who will be driving same for the organization and dept/ section.

Some specific goals and targets are to be fixed such as 5S score, etc. To start with red tag campaign is to be done with 1S, we actually clean up the place completely. This is done by making a list of items that are wanted in the place first and we take out all the other unnecessary items from the workplace. Some of the items that can be used by other debt or it can be sold outside should be kept in a central area for management to take a decision. But it should be a permanent place. Periodic disposal should be done and a process for disposal should also be made.

The purpose of doing a complete clean-up of the place, including the machinery and equipment is to find the abnormalities.

Before and After 5S Implementation-

Difference between 1S cleaning and 3S Cleaning –

Under 1S cleaning, we take out all unnecessary items and also exposed the area for any abnormalities. Under 3S, we do things which will keep the place clean and prevent getting dirty. 3S cleaning is to make cleaning easier and prevent contamination.

Once the red tag is done, we need to ensure its removal by properly arranging it. All the red tags have to be noted down in a structured format where date of Red Tag, area, name of the person who did the tagging, countermeasure to prevent its reoccurrence, date of implementation and person responsibilities are maintained as a record. How to prevent the RED TAG to happen again is the main key issue.

2S or Arranging or Organizing -

The needed items should be done so that anyone can see where it is kept, can easily pick it up, use it, and return it to its proper place.

2S should never be implemented without its partner, 1S. No matter how well you arrange items, 2S can have little impact if many of the items are unnecessary. 2S demands boldness and ruthlessness in discarding unneeded items.

2S is also called the organization and orderliness, i.e. arranging needed items so that they are easy to use and labelling them to make their storage sites easily understood by anyone. Everything has a place and everything is kept in the place with pre-fixed quantity. While arranging, we also need to ensure the elimination or reduction of 3M – Muda, Mura and Muri. One of the most important waste that we need to eliminate is the “SEARCHING WASTE”. This is one of the biggest time killers in our organization. An example is also the search for a file on a computer. The office 5S definition has changed over a period of time, it is no longer the physical files alone. Arranging the data on PCs and Laptops are the main focus now.

Orderliness Means Standardization. It is about standardization where things are kept. Operation standardization means anyone can perform the operation. Orderliness should be visible in Space (floors, walkways, operation areas, walls, Shelves, etc.), Products (Raw Materials, WIP, Finished Goods inventory, etc.) and Equipment (Machines, equipments, jigs, tools, gauges, dies, work tables, cabinets, chairs etc.)

2S is about intensive improvement. Arranging things in such a way that there is minimum difficulty and make it visual. To do this we have to make many improvements. Here lots of Kaizen can be done to make 2S effective. Number of Kaizen can be generated for the proper arrangement of the needed items so that there is minimum waste in the system. In other words, 3M is reduced.

FPP or Fixed point Photograph – before implementing 1S, it is necessary to take a few photos of the place from a fixed place with fixed height, fixed angle, and fixed Zoom and it is taken every time we make any improvement of the place. For each FPP, the date and time of the photo is very important. FPP is giving a visual description of the improvement in the area from time to time.

WPP or Worst Point Photographs – We select a worst area in terms of 5S and convert it into a best place in that area by doing multiple improvement implementing 1S, 2S and 3S. This gives a motivation for others to implement 5S. There should be no. of WPP with before and after photos.

Both are displayed in the section or the Zone with before and after photograph. One of the main effort is to prevent reoccurrence and taking action on the source.

Role of the In- charge or the Head of that Area:

• Ensure that all members of the core team of the Zone meet every day at the designated time and place along with others
• Ensure that everyone follows some basic discipline – cleaning and keeping the necessary items in proper place before starting the work and before leaving the workplace
• Ensure all red tags are removed with proper actions
• Communicate the status of the implementation – plan Vs actual
• Communicate the planned activity of the day
• Assign responsibilities to each one
• Ensure work on one FPP
• Ensure work on one WPP
• Review the status of one Shining Example per week
• Take decision on the Red Tag items and its disposal method
• Review the 2S implementation and its plan for preventing reoccurrences
• Follow up with the HR and Admin dept and other relevant dept for 5S implementation jobs
• Ensure weekly audit by the Audit team
• Ensure monthly Audit by an External team
• Review of the Audit report and observation points and its action
• Ensure the maintenance of the 5S activity Board
• Ensure training of all members as per the training plan
• Meeting people after they come back from training
• Ensure creation of all standards documents and its implementation – keep this in a separate 5S file
• Daily sharing and asking about 5S implementation
• Lead by demonstration – do 5S activity everyday
• Celebrate success and recognise and reward people

4S Pillar– This is called standardize.

When we implement 1S, 2S and 3S, if we don’t standardize:

1. Conditions go back to old undesirable levels even after a completed 5S implementation.
2. At the end of the day, piles of unneeded items are left over from the day’s work
3. Tools, storage, sites, etc. become disorganized

The basic purpose of the fourth pillar is to prevent setbacks in the first three pillars, to make implementation a daily habit, and to make sure that all pillars are maintained in their fully implemented state.

How to Implement Standardize

1. Assign 5S responsibilities – Everyone must know exactly what one is responsible for doing and exactly when, where and how to do it. Every day, 5S schedules & list of jobs to be done is to be made. The continuous and daily – morning and evening jobs to be defined very clearly to all.
2. Integrate 3S duties into regular duties – The five pillars – foundation of which is to maintain 3S conditions – must be part of the normal workflow. Make 5S visual, as much as possible and 5 minutes every day at the beginning and in the end must be made part of the job.
3. Use the check list to check all 5 pillar. The checklist to be made for the whole workplace. Periodic audit can be part of it.
4. If same problem keeps happening again and again, we move to prevention mode. We need to prevent “unneeded or dirt” to enter the workplace. One way is to make it difficult to put things in wrong place. Asking “why”, at least 5 times, until we identify the underlying causes which if resolved can prevent it recurrence.

5S Pillar – The fifth pillar is sustain-

Sustain means properly maintaining correct procedures. Fifth pillar is to build commitment to maintain 5S.

How to implement fifth S Pillar

1. Build Awareness through education, training and communication
2. Allot time for 5S activities in the work schedule
3. Create and maintain a 5S structure for 5S implemented in the company
4. The management should support and acknowledge 5S work
5. Create excitement through innovative reward and recognition system
6. Involve people and share success stories
7. Create promotional activities such as 5S slogan, 5S posters, before and after 5S display, 5S newsletter, 5S pocket manual, 5S Maps, 5S months etc.

Tools for 5S

1. Red Tags: These are used to label items that are no longer needed or are not in use. Red tags help in the sorting process.
2. Shadow boards: These are used to organize tools and equipment. The shadow board has an outline of the tool or equipment, making it easy to identify if something is missing.
3. Visual controls: These are used to make it easy to identify the correct location for tools and equipment. Examples include color coding, labels, and signs.
4. Cleaning checklists: These are used to ensure that the workspace is clean and tidy. The checklist helps in maintaining the shine aspect of 5S.
5. Standardized work procedures: These are used to ensure that everyone follows the same process for performing tasks. Standardized work procedures help in the standardization aspect of 5S.
6. Floor marking tape: This is used to mark boundaries, aisles, and storage locations. Floor marking tape helps in the set-in-order aspect of 5S.
7. Kanban systems: These are used to manage inventory levels. A Kanban system helps maintain the right inventory level, ensuring no waste of resources.
8. Visual management boards: These are used to display key performance indicators (KPIs) and progress toward goals. The visual management board helps in sustaining the improvements made through 5S.