Insight

What is 5S?
5S is a method of creating a self-sustaining culture which perpetuates a neat, clean, efficient workplace; a method for removing all excess materials and tools from the workplace and organizing the required items such that they are easy to find, use, and maintain.
Why implement 5S?

• Improves safety and ergonomics
• Promotes flow
• Reduces searching
• Reduces unplanned downtime
• Improve quality
• Encourages visual control
• Enhances teamwork
• Improves productivity
• Eliminates distractions
• Reduces inventory and space
• Instills the discipline to follow standard work
• Exposes problems
• Tackles waste
• Enhances self-management

BENEFITS OF 5S 
In order to participate in the global economy and compete against companies that are advantaged by overseas production, businesses are looking to find ways to identify and reduce production wastes. 
By implementing the 5S methodology correctly numerous benefits can be realised, including: 

• Reduced production costs and improved production efficiencies. 
• Improvements in Quality, leading to a reduction in Customer Return costs, liabilities costs, etc. 
• Reduced Inventory levels and warehousing costs. 
• Adaptability to new products improved, leading to increased production capability. 
• Employee safety improved, reducing loss time incident costs and compensation pay outs. 
• Employee moral improved, leading to increased productivity and reduced staff turnover / re-training costs. 
• Increased (reclaimed) floor space providing the company with huge savings and scope for new products. 

Sort
Sort means that you remove all items from the work place that are not needed for current production (or clerical) operations. Surprisingly, this simple concept is easily misunderstood. At first, it may be difficult to distinguish between what is needed and what is not. 
Common Issues: 

• People tend to hold onto parts, thinking that they may be needed for the next order (sometimes holding on to obsolete or ‘out of issue’ parts without realising). 
• They see an inappropriate machine and think they will use it someday or somehow. 

12 STEPS TO SORT SUCCESS 
The list of SORT steps below, assume Management have bought into implementing 5S at your facility. 
Step 1 - Employee Awareness and Training – Getting your colleagues on board with 5S is vital, as they will be the people making it work and ripping most of the day to day benefits. Your facility should immersed in 5S visuals and training materials. 
Step 2 - Identify the 5S Area and Team Members – Start with one part of your facility and use this as the Pilot area. Decide on a location that is seen / walked pass by most of the people working at your facility and clearly identify the boundaries of that area. The team should be made up of people from the area, as well as a 5S (adding a Manager to the team will demonstrate that the company is serious about 5S). 
Step 3 - Gather Event Supplies – These are the things you will require for the event 
Step 4 - Set Red Tag Event Date and Time – Initially, 5S sorting should be ran as ‘SORT Events’ until the other 5S pillars have been completed on the area and then daily SORT sustainment becomes the future. 
Step 5 - Set up a Local Holding Area – Without a local holding area, items will not leave the work area and SORT will fail. Set up a holding area, but don’t locate it too close (items will find their way back ‘overnight’) or too far away from the work area (items will never leave the area i.e get stuffed into draws and cupboards). 
Step 6 - Set Red Tag Event Targets – Post specific and measurable targets for the red tagging activity. You may also consider - ‘only items required for next 48 hours’ 
Step 7- Take lots of BEFORE Photos – These photos are important, as they demonstrate to the Management that improvement process has been made - use your Before / After Board. The photos will also be used for the Recognition Board. 
Step 8- Hold Red Tagging Event – When you are happy that the Team understands the red tagging criteria, go ahead and tag unneeded items. This should be a quick event. Set a minimum target for each team member. As soon as the item is tagged, move it to the holding area. 
Step 9 - Evaluate Tagged Items - As a team, evaluate each tagged item to decide on the most appropriate disposition action (Scrap, Return to Vendor, Send for calibration, Sell / Auction, etc). Invite a person from outside of the area to challenge the team on the tagged items. 
Step 10 - Assign Disposition Actions – Decide on who (name of person) will carried out the disposition action on an item. Make this information visible for everyone to see. 
Step 11 - Take AFTER photos – With all the unneeded items removed from the area, take some photos to demonstrate to the Management that improvement process has been made (use your Before / After Board) and the photos will also be used for the Recognition Board later. 
Step 12 - Update your Recognition Board and congratulate the team – Congratulating your team for their efforts is a vital part of the sustainment activity of 5S SORT. Your colleagues won’t continue to support 5S if they cannot see progress or are not being recognised for the work they have carried out.

Set in order
Set In Order is all about the old adage “A place for everything and everything in its place”. 
Set In Order can be defined as arranging needed items so that they are easy to use and labelling them so that they are easy to find and put away. 
Step 1 - Identify the frequency of items are used - The first step (as a Team) is to review the job (process or product) that is performed in the area and identify the frequency in which the tools and equipment are used. 

• Store items together if they are used together 
• Store them in the sequence you use them in 
• Store items according to their function so if they do similar things store them together 
• Eliminate multiple items that do the same thing and use a single one that does multiple function 
• Make storage places larger than items stored there so it’s easy to remove and put them back 
• Make storage places accessible and comfortable to use 

Step 2 - Identify designated locations - The most frequently used items should be placed closest to were the job is being performed and within easy reach. 

• Store items together if they are used together 
• Store them in the sequence you use them in 
• Store items according to their function so if they do similar things store them together 
• Eliminate multiple items that do the same thing and use a single one that does multiple function 
• Make storage places larger than items stored there so it’s easy to remove and put them back 
• Make storage places accessible and comfortable to use 

Step 3 - Think Ergonomics - Make sure to consider the principles of ergonomics when determining where to locate equipment and supplies. 

• Maintain comfortable posture and position 
• Minimise lifting and motion. 
• Use principle of gravity instead of muscle.

Step 4 - Visual Controls - Create visual cues to reinforce location of supplies and equipment by using techniques such as: 

• Labels on shelves 
• Tapped off sections of floor for positioning of items 
• Shadow boards outlining placement of key equipment 
• Colour coding 
• KANBAN bins to show inventory levels 
• Directional signage 
• Floor tape or paint indicating pedestrian paths, off limits or hazardous areas. 
• Parts dividers

Step 5 - Lighting - Whilst you are improving your visual controls you may also want to think about improving the lighting in the area. 
Proper workplace lighting is essential to any good business as it: 

• allows employees to comfortably see what they’re doing, without straining their eyes or bodies 
• makes work easier and more productive 
• draws attention to hazardous operations and equipment 
• helps prevent costly errors and accidents

Step 6 - Evaluate the work area space – Review the job being performed and ask the question “ Does the operator need that much space? ” Often the answer to this question is NO. Two objectives can often be achieved here: 

• Freeing up floor space 
• Reducing the amount of work surface used 

Step 7 - Set a Visual Standard - Once the Set In Order has been completed, take photos to show the standard in the area. Display this standard in the area so everyone can see it.

Shine
Shine means sweeping floors, wiping off machinery, and generally making sure everything in the factory or workplace stays clean. In a manufacturing company, Shine is closely related to the ability to turn out quality products. Shine also includes saving labour by finding ways to prevent dirt, dust and debris from piling up in the workshop. 
Shine should be integrated into daily maintenance tasks to combine cleaning checkpoints with maintenance checkpoints. There are three aspects of Shine: getting the work area clean, maintaining its appearance, and using preventive measures to keep it clean 
Step 1 - Clean your work area completely – Clean the area from top to bottom. Treat the initial clean as a kind of spring clean. Ensure that all work benches, tables, equipment and all other items are cleaned thoroughly. 
Step 2 - Maintaining its appearance - Once the cleaning has been completed, take photos to show the new standard for cleanliness in the area. Display this standard in the area so everyone can see it. 
Step 3 - Preventive measures – Use a cleaning (Shine) schedule with specific owners to ensure that the area is kept clean. Nominate an independent person to audit the area and give it a score.

Standartise
The three steps to making SORT, SET IN ORDER and SHINE activities (the three pillars or 3S) a habit are: 
Step 1 – Decide who is responsible for which activities with regard to maintaining 3S conditions. 
Step 2 – To prevent back sliding, integrate 3S maintenance duties into regular work activities. 
Step 3 – Check on how well 3S conditions are being maintained.

Sustain
Within the context of the five pillars, Sustain means making a habit of properly maintaining correct procedures. 
The implementation of the sustain pillar is different from that of the Sort, Set In Order, Shine and Standardise pillars in the sense that the results are not visible and cannot be easily measured. 
Commitment to it exists in people’s hearts and minds and their behaviour shows its presence. 
Steps you can take: 
Step 1 - Create a 5S poster with in-house examples. 
Step 2 - Develop a practical 5S auditing tool. 
Step 3 - Display 5S metrics. 
Step 4 - Develop a storyboard to display good results “a picture is worth a thousand words”. 
Step 5- 5S newsletter can be centred around in-house improvements and to communicate new 5S conditions. 
Step 6 - Setup a 5S communication board with 5S map to involve all employees. 
Step 7 - Develop in-house 5S manual that to explain examples for each of the 5S steps. 
Step 8 - If areas have been improving maybe take 10 minutes and arrange for in-house tours to show off to others great examples of 5S.