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5S is a phrase that refers to workplace organization and standardization. It is how we have our areas organized, free of clutter, efficient, safe, and pleasant to work in. It is considered a cornerstone for companies pursuing Lean Enterprise. It lays the groundwork and develops the discipline necessary to support the successful implementation of other Lean concepts throughout an organization “Behind all workplace successes’ and failures are the 5S’s.” – Hiroyuki Hirano1 This can easily interpreted as successful companies are ones that consistently practice a high level of 5S and ones that don ’t have issues and struggle. 5S stands for five words in Japanese that begin with the letter “S” and describe the activities of workplace organization and standardization.

* There are other versions of the words for 5S (some organizations choose to add in Safety and even Security as additional “S’s”). Explanation of each “S” 1. Sort “When in doubt, move it out.” The first step is to sort through the target area and pull out anything that you do not need there. A quick thumb rule is - if you are not going to use it in the next 30 days then move it out of the immediate work area. The way to perform this is called the “Red Tag Technique.” Attach a red tag to the item to identify it and place it the in the “Red Tag Holding Area.” The Red Tag identifies: the item, who moved it, the date it was moved and the reason it was moved (such as: not used here, obsolete, capital item not needed, broken and so on). Other information can be written on the tag as needed. Make sure the Red Tags are easy to get and use. Having 5S Red Tag Stations strategically located throughout your facility increases the probability of people using them. The Red Tag Holding Area is a temporary area where items can be held until the disposition is made such as: keep, recycle, donate, sell, etc. 2. Set in Order “Have a place for everything and everything in its place.” Next, decide where the items that you decided to keep should be located in your area. Make it obvious where they belong. Use visual techniques such as signs, lines, labels and color-coding or

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even shadow boards for tools. If you use it everyday it should be kept close to your work area. If you use it once a week it can go a little farther away. If you use it only once a month, it can be kept even farther away or in another area. Set up a system for how many to have on hand, when to replenish and who is responsible for ordering more. The key here is that every item in your work area has a specific ‘home’. A good rule-of-thumb for having world class Set-in-order is that anyone in your work area can find an item in 30 seconds or less. 3. Shine “Clean and Inspect” 5S is not just cleaning; it is much more than that. Shine is the process of inspecting while cleaning. Look for safety hazards, loose wires, connections, hoses: basically anything that could cause a breakdown or potential problem if not attended to. Clean from top to bottom and get everything in a “like-new” condition. Divide up the work amongst the team members. Remember, everybody cleans and inspects. Look for ways to prevent the dirt, dust and grime from accumulating in the first place. Replace any worn, defective or unsafe components or equipment. Plan ahead so that the proper cleaning supplies are readily available. Having a portable Shine cart makes this easy. A clean work area is safer, more pleasant place to work, more efficient, produces better quality and impresses customers. If people resist participating in Shine by saying “I wasn’t hired to clean!” remind them that they weren’t hired to make a mess either. 4. Standardize “Make up the rules for the first 3 S’s” Have the team establish the guidelines, policies or rules for Sort, Set-in-Order, and Shine. Many organizations pursuing 5S say that they fail at sustaining their efforts (the 5th “S”). They need to realize that they probably failed at Standardized. When you standardize, you make up the rules, but then you have to follow and enforce these rules. An important element here is – don’t make a rule that no one will follow. Examples for standards might include: · Sort: what information goes on the 5S Red Tag, how to perform the 5S Red Tag technique, rules to disposition items in the Red Tag Holding Area, and so on. · Set-in-Order: where and how much inventory or supplies should be kept on-hand, visual standards such as color-coding, etc. · Shine: visual standards for Shine, how, how often and with what items should people clean and inspect, and so on. 5. Sustain “Keep your 5S efforts going.” The fourth and fifth S are the two functions that without proper attention will regress to performing tasks the ‘old’ way. To maintain these efforts, the team must use creative methods to share their lessons learned and to encourage the continual process of 5S. Sustaining efforts may include additional training, communication with bulletin boards or newsletters, reward and recognition (like t-shirts). The key here is to keep the 5S efforts going and to make it part of everyone’s daily work life. 5S should not be something additional or something that management tells the employees to skip because there is no time. Once the standards are in place everyone has to support the program to make it last.

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Summary 5S is having a clean, neat, organized and safe workplace. It reduces waste, searching time for items and stress. 5S is a foundation of a Lean company. “Businesses that grow by development and improvement do not die. But when a business ceases to be creative, when it believes it has reached perfection and needs to do nothing but produce – no improvement, no development – it is done.” – Henry Ford References and Additional Resources 1. “5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace” by Hiroyuki Hirano, Productivity Press 2. Wikipedia 5S (methodology) 3. Lean Lexicon 4. Items, products and training materials for 5S Events and programs at www.5Ssupply.com