There are so many businesses, especially in the manufacturing world, that are just clusters of mass un-organization. What I mean is they have way too much stuff at each work station, more than what the job actually entails. Lean manufacturing 5S is one of the simplest things you can do right away to help with this.

5S originated in Japan, and all of the words started with an S. Luckily, these words also translate to words that also start with an S. Let’s look at what all of the 5S terms mean.

Sort - This means exactly what it says. You take a certain area you will be working on, and you decide what equipment and tools you will need to do the job. All of the other stuff is extra, and will be disposed of.

In order to be organized, you need to have a place to set your tools. This is where the term Set comes in. Just by using some tape to outline a tool, or a peg board labeled with a tool name, can help show where the tools go or when tools are missing.

Shine will be next. This is a simple step in ensuring all of the tools in an area are cleaned and the actual area itself is also clean. Place a person in charge of this area to ensure this is happening.

Now that the area is organized and cleaned, you need to standardize. One of the ways to do this is by having periodic review of the area. Another potential pitfall is not having new procedures. you most likely changed some stuff, so new procedures and new processes will need to be established. This helps to ensure the area operates at a set standard.

Trying to sustain this initiative will take the efforts of all parties involved. Whether you are management, or the employees, you all have a stake and an important role in ensuring this initiative is sustained. This is why this section is called Sustain.

All businesses should at the minimum have a 5S initiative in their company. Everyone likes a clean area and likes to know what is expected of them. Lean manufacturing 5S can help with this.

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