The "5S" Philosophy
Seiri Seiton Seiso Seiketsu Shitsuke
The use of the 5S's in our workplace and in our warehouses and stores would dramatically improve the way we conduct our business of delighting our internal and external customers.
How can I improve efficiency, work organization, quality, safety and housekeeping and protect my investment at the same time? These are the questions executives ask themselves at their workplace.
5S process could effectively impact the way we as a company do business.
Based on Japanese words that begin with ‘S’, the 5S Philosophy focuses on effective work place organization and standardized work procedures. 5S simplifies your work environment, reduces waste and non-value activity while improving quality efficiency and safety.
Sort ? (Seiri) the first S focuses on eliminating unnecessary items from the workplace. An effective visual method to identify these unneeded items is called red tagging. A red tag is placed on all items not required to complete your job. These items are then moved to a central holding area. This process is for evaluation of the red tag items. Occasionally used items are moved to a more organized storage location outside of the work area while unneeded items are discarded. Sorting is an excellent way to free up valuable floor space and eliminate such things as broken tools, obsolete items and materials, scrap and excess raw material. The Sort process also helps prevent the JIC job mentality (Just In Case.)
Set In Order (Seiton) is the second of the 5Ss and focuses on efficient and effective storage methods.
You must ask yourself ...