The 5S system is designed to improve efficiency through a systematic approach to organization and cleanliness in the workplace. The system includes five fundamental guidelines (five S’s) that help improve workplace efficiency. The five S’s are:
- Sort – (Seiri)
- Straighten – (Seiton)
- Shine – (Seiso)
- Standardise – (Seiketsu)
- Sustain – (Shitsuke)
Benefits
In practice, 5S makes work places more efficient and effective by:
- Safety and Security are at the forefront as removed clutter and debris removes unnecessary hazards.
- Creates a clean and orderly workspace.
- Exposes and eliminates waste.
- Makes deviations visible.
- Improves efficiency as people are more productive working in a clean environment.
- Low implementation cost and high impact and performance, important long-term benefits without high spending.
- When a team is working in the 5S system they will develop a collaborate mindset to help other initiatives more successful.
1. Seiri (Sort)
Removing unneeded items from each work area. A red tag is placed on all items that are not important for operations or that are not in the proper location or quantity. Once the red tag items are identified, these items are then moved to a central holding area for subsequent disposal, recycling, or reassignment.
Actions:
-Have ‘necessary’ and ‘unnecessary’ categories.
-Eliminate unnecessary items.
-Think about what you don’t need and get rid of it.
2. Seiton (Straighten)
Customizing each unique work area to maximize efficiency. Focuses on creating efficient and effective storage methods to arrange items so that they are easy to use and to label them so that they are easy to find and put away. (Also called Set in Order).
Actions:
-Place items in their optimum positions.
-Visualise the work area to understand how placement of materials compliment your workflow.
-Identify deviations that can be corrected.
3. Seiso – (Shine)
Cleaning each work area after every shift to help find and eliminate issues before they become major problems. Once the clutter that has been clogging the work areas is eliminated and remaining items are organized, the next step is to thoroughly clean the work area. Daily follow-up cleaning is necessary to sustain this improvement.
Actions:
-Clean to inspect.
-Identify problems.
-Inspect problems and develop countermeasure to get back on track for 5s optimisation.
-A good practice in problem-solving that becomes a work culture improvement in the future.
4. Seiketsu – (Standardise)
Documenting improvements so they can be more easily applied in other work areas. Making sure each step is repeated to ensure continuous improvement. Standardisation of best practices through ‘visual management’.
Actions:
-Share best practice with new team members.
-Divide tasks in simple checks that don’t require checklists.
-Perform the steps in the same way every time.
-Identify system breakdowns and replicate success.
-Provide the items needed to efficiently and successfully complete the process every time.
5. Shitsuke – (Sustain)
Making a habit of properly maintaining correct procedures, is often the most difficult ‘S’ to implement and achieve. Changing behaviours can be difficult and the tendency is often to return to the status quo and the comfort zone of the “old way” of doing things. Sustain focuses on defining a new status quo and standard of work place organization. Without the Sustain pillar the achievements of the other pillars will not last long.
Actions:
-Make it a habit.
-Look for waste.
-Visualise the work area.
-Look for the root cause of every problem.
-Develop standards.
-Repeat the process.
Additional Notes
- There’s a good article here that uses a more familiar way to remember the order:
- Seiri – Sort items to retain, return and rid
- Seiton – Organize items in the workplace
- Seiso – Clean the workplace
- Seiketsu – Maintain Seiri, Seiton and Seiso
- Shitsuke – Discipline the organization
It’s thought that Toyota used the first 4 only or all 5 dependent on the location and/or facility.