What is 5S in the manufacturing industry? Introducing the meaning, usage, and examples

What is 5S?

First, let’s take a quick look at the meaning of 5S and its activities. 5S is the first S of sorting, tidying up, cleaning, cleanliness, and discipline. We have put together 5 items to improve the quality of your work and to do it safely.

[Organization]
Distinguish between what is necessary and what is unnecessary, and throw away what is unnecessary. In the manufacturing industry , as large quantities of products are produced, a considerable amount of waste is also produced. If you don’t deal with unnecessary items each time, things may get out of control.

[Organization]
Keeping the things you need in an easy-to-use manner. To this end, place tools and materials in appropriate locations and display them in a way that is easy for the person using them to understand.

[Cleaning]
Cleaning and inspecting the workplace and equipment. Keep it clean and free of debris. It also means inspecting and maintaining equipment and tools to ensure they are ready for use at all times.

[Cleanliness]
Keep the above three S’s in mind and maintain a clean state. Keep it in good condition by cleaning and maintaining it immediately. It also encourages others to stay clean.

[Discipline]
Make it a habit to follow the four S’s above. We will ensure that you always comply, even if you are busy with work. We also perform work according to the rules.

Purpose of 5S

What is the purpose of doing 5S? Simply put, by preparing the workplace in a way that makes it easy to work, it eliminates waste and improves quality and efficiency.

Improving the working environment

When tools and materials are placed in a cluttered manner, making it difficult to find what you need, or when work procedures are difficult to understand and easy to get lost, this can lead to waste and mistakes. When 5S creates a comfortable working environment, the stress of working employees is alleviated. Clear and easy-to-follow work procedures enable every employee to do quality work quickly. As a result, this leads to improvements in work efficiency and motivation throughout the workplace.

Improved safety

If equipment has a problem and is left as is, or if it deteriorates because it has not been used for a while, it will be dangerous when it is time to use it. If things, including unnecessary items, are scattered all over the place, it can lead to work-related accidents. Regular maintenance of equipment and working in a clean and tidy environment will also improve safety.

Improve organizational collaboration

If individuals or departments have different ways of doing things, it will be difficult to work together as an organization. By implementing 5S, you will be able to share within your organization the criteria for determining what is necessary and what is unnecessary, as well as rules such as where and how things should be placed. By thoroughly implementing 5S in each department, collaboration between departments will become easier and the team strength of the entire company will increase.

How to approach 5S

Even if you try to implement 5S, if you don’t do it the right way, the effectiveness will be halved. What points should I pay attention to?

Step 1: “Organize”

When it comes to organizing and getting rid of unnecessary things, you may end up just cleaning. That will only have a temporary effect.
“Sort” in 5S means clarifying the criteria for what is necessary and unnecessary. Mark unnecessary items in a conspicuous color such as red, and set a deadline to dispose of them. The purpose of marking them is so that everyone in the workplace is aware of what is unnecessary.

Regarding information, we only keep the latest documents, drawings, and slips. By doing so, you can quickly find the information you need now and avoid being confused by previous information. However, it is a good idea to create a database of past information that will be useful in the future.

By making tools and information common throughout the workplace, you can organize things more efficiently. Also, reduce the number of items by sharing them as much as possible to avoid unnecessary costs.

Step 2: “Organize”

In 5S, “Seiri” refers to arranging tools, materials, etc. in their fixed positions and displaying them so that everyone can understand. Even if you arrange things so that they look nice, if you don’t put them in a place where they are easy to take out and put back together, it won’t be tidy. For example, if you put the tools you need for a job in an inconvenient place, you’ll end up putting them in different places and having to find them often.

One method is to set up a temporary storage area for newly arrived materials and other items that have not yet been determined where to store them. This helps prevent mistakes and damage caused by placing unnecessary items in aisles and work spaces. By properly tidying things up, you can eliminate wasted time and effort and proceed with your work smoothly.

Step 3: “Cleaning”

Cleaning is the key to maintaining a safe and sanitary work environment. This includes maintenance and inspection of the equipment and tools used. An unsanitary workplace with a lot of trash and dirt makes it difficult for employees to concentrate on their work, which can lead to serious mistakes and industrial accidents. In contrast, a clean and well-organized workplace naturally makes you feel more motivated to do your work properly, which improves your work efficiency. Equipment and tools will last longer if they are properly maintained on a regular basis, and you can detect and repair any minor problems. In addition to daily cleaning, detailed inspections of each area are required.

Step 4: “Clean”

Keeping things organized, tidy, and clean in good condition is called “cleanliness.”
For example, organizing requires throwing away unnecessary items, but it is more important to prevent unnecessary items from appearing in the first place. Our goal is to create a situation where we don’t have to throw things away by only purchasing what we need and using things carefully so as not to damage them.

The same goes for tidying up. If you can always keep things in the right place, you won’t have to worry about putting things back together. When it comes to cleaning, be creative in how you proceed so that your workplace doesn’t get dirty.
If you can step up from the stage of conscious effort to the stage where you can maintain that state naturally, you can call it success.

Step 5: “Discipline”

This is a step that can be said to be the core of 5S, by establishing rules to protect the above 4S, thoroughly disseminating the rules to employees, and making them a habit. We designate a person in charge of 5S for each site, and if we find a violation of the rules, we immediately point it out and correct it. If you overlook a small violation of the rules, it will go back to the original state, so it is important to discipline your dog properly.

Advantages of introducing 5S

What are the benefits of introducing 5S?
In one workplace, a lot of tools were placed in a cluttered manner, and it was difficult to know where to put them. It took time to take out the tools, and it took a lot of time to work.

When we investigated the usage status of all the tools, we found that many of them were not used even once a month. That’s why I’ve put together only the things I use all the time in an easily accessible place. As a result, work efficiency has increased, and the workplace has become cleaner and more comfortable.

In this way, 5S has the effect of increasing work efficiency and employee motivation.

5S activity examples

We will introduce examples of companies that have successfully implemented 5S. What kind of effect did it have?

Kitamura Co., Ltd.

5S initiatives are being carried out in each department and section.
In the raw materials department, the paper storage area was cluttered and difficult to retrieve. Therefore, I decided to put the tack paper on the top shelf and the copy paper on the bottom shelf, stacking each size separately. The color of the tack paper is also written on the display to make it easier to understand. By avoiding stacking items of different types and sizes, you can now find what you want quickly. This is a good example of “tidying up”.

Akabu Engineering Co., Ltd.

In 2006, the entire company began working on 5S in a situation where equipment and jigs were placed in a cluttered manner in the factory area, and desks in the office area were overflowing with unorganized documents and large amounts of stationery. Once the effects began to appear, employees’ awareness of 5S began to change.
We took concrete measures for each of the 5S, decided on rules, and implemented them. We carried out 5S patrols and 5S activity reports regularly to maintain “cleanliness” by maintaining “sorting,” “tidying,” and “cleaning.” A committee has been set up to instill habits within the company with a focus on 5S activities, and is actively engaged in activities to foster teamwork and independence among employees regarding 5S, taking on the role of “discipline.”
Now that the inside and outside of the factory has changed dramatically, many people come to tour the 5S.

summary

We hope that you can understand from the specific examples introduced this time that 5S activities are effective in improving work efficiency in the manufacturing industry. However, in order to experience the effects, you must approach it with the correct understanding and method. Why not start from the first step by referring to the points summarized here?