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| Five S
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| Introduction |
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One definition of the Visual Workplace is ‘an environment where, within 5 minutes, a stranger can recognize the area’s vision, their mission, and the key performance measures critical to their success.’ All this is determined without the need for a conversation of any kind. In addition, the visible measures – or ‘dashboard indicators’ – clearly show at a glance how successful the process owners are in achieving their vision. Joint selection of the right indicators is essential to ensure true ownership.
Such an environment begins with the discipline of “5-S” which is wrapped in management’s envelope of support. Housekeeping alone is not just a desirable thing to do – it’s crucial, as more potential customers ‘walk-through’ their supplier’s workplace before committing to a supplier-customer agreement. Every employee plays a role in presenting an image of organization, order, and cleanliness to potential customers. What’s more, employees find this new order produces a better workplace. The 5 pillars to the visual workplace, which must work in conjunction with each other, are:
1. Sort (seiri) – involves removing all waste and unnecessary materials in the workplace.
2. Set in order (seiton) – involves placing needed items at their point of use for easy retrieval and storage.
3. Shine (seiso) – involves cleaning the workplace and eliminating sources of dirt.
4. Standardize (seiketsu) – involves creating a routine way of maintaining cleanliness and organization in the factory and office.
5. Sustain (shitsuke) – involves committing to and sustaining the practice of Visual 5S on a daily basis.
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| Strategies used in Visual 5S |
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Sort
The red-tag strategy involves attaching red tags to unnecessary items to clarify which items you need to get rid of.
The Kanban strategy involves attaching tags or cards to materials or parts to indicate their replenishment requirements.
Set in order
The signboard strategy involves using signboards to indicate an item's point of use and the amount of the item required.
The painting strategy involves painting yellow or white divider lines on the floor to distinguish between walkways, storage areas, and working areas, and to indicate travel direction.
The color-coding technique involves assigning different colors to certain items or machinery, and using the same colors for the respective jigs, tools, and dies that accompany the machinery.
The outlining strategy involves drawing the outlines of tools in their storage locations to enable you to see where each tool belongs at a glance.
Shine
Checklists are used to review and maintain the cleanliness of stock, equipment, and spaces.
Cleanliness inspection checklists can be used to perform daily reviews of cleanliness, maintenance, and inspections of machinery.
Standardize
A five-point standardized cleanup-level checklist is used to review all aspects of cleanliness on a regular basis and then to rate the organization on its achievement of the standards.
Sustain
A five-point standardized cleanup-level checklist can be used to determine the degree of discipline in a group of employees.
Patrol scoresheets record and display the total scores each work area obtains on the standardized cleanup-level checklist.
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