The 5S system is an organization method for workspaces aimed at enabling efficient, effective, and safe work. It emphasizes putting everything in its place and maintaining a clean workspace to enable people to perform their work without wasting time or risking injury.
Translation of 5S:
The term 5S comes from five Japanese words:
- Seiri (Sort)
- Seiton (Set in Order)
- Seiso (Shine)
- Seiketsu (Standardize)
- Shitsuke (Sustain)
Origins of 5S – 5S and Lean Manufacturing:
5S began as part of the Toyota Production System (TPS), the manufacturing method initiated by Toyota Motor Company leaders in the early to mid-twentieth century. This system, often referred to as Lean manufacturing in the West, aims to increase the value of products or services for customers. This is often achieved by finding and eliminating waste in production processes.
Let’s look at each part of 5S in more detail:
Sort:
Once the excess clutter is gone, it’s easier to see what’s what. Now workgroups can come up with their own strategies for classifying the remaining items.
Set in Order:
Una vez que desaparece el desorden adicional, es más fácil ver qué es qué. Ahora los grupos de trabajo pueden idear sus propias estrategias para clasificar los elementos restantes.
Shine:
Everyone thinks they know what clean is, but it’s one of the easiest things to overlook, especially when work is busy. The Shine stage of 5S focuses on cleaning the workspace, which means sweeping, mopping, dusting, cleaning surfaces, storing tools and materials, etc.
Standardize:
Once the first three steps of 5S are completed, things should look pretty good. All the extra material is gone, everything is organized, spaces are clean, and equipment is in good working order.
Sustain:
Once standard procedures for 5S are implemented, companies need to do the ongoing work of maintaining those procedures and updating them as necessary. Sustain refers to the process of keeping the 5S running smoothly, but also of keeping everyone in the organization involved.
At Q-VER, we have adopted this work philosophy, which enables us to achieve high levels of quality and, in turn, help our clients achieve it and apply it to every project they entrust to us.
