5S Implementation For Organizations

5S Implementation
for Organizations
Presented by Ritetrac Consulting Nigeria Ltd.
Ritetrac Consulting Nigeria Ltd::www.ritetracconsult.com.ng::
1

Overview
Formally defined, 5S is a method of creating a clean
and orderly workplace that exposes waste and makes
abnormalities immediately visible. As such it’s
important to realize that 5S is far more than a
housekeeping initiative like so many confuse it to be
2

Cont’d
When someone refers to 5S they’re generally referring
to 5 Japanese words that start with S. But, it would
seem, contrary to what many people assume… the
origins of 5S may not be Japanese after all.
3

History of 5S
In fact, Henry Ford’s CANDO program which stands for
cleaning up, arranging, neatness, discipline, and
ongoing improvement seems to be the obvious
precursor to what we call 5S today. This actually seems
very logical since the Japanese studied Ford’s
methods shortly after the war ended.
4

5S
But to be sure, the 5S we’re focused on in this course
and in most lean manufacturing situations is based on
5 Japanese words. They are:
 Seiri : which is commonly translated as sort
 Seiton: which means to straighten
 Seisou: which means to sweep or shine
 Seiketsu: which actually means to sanitize but is most
commonly referred to as standardize today
 Shitsuke: which means self discipline or sustain
5

The 5 Steps
1. The first step is sort. This step basically challenges us
to get rid of the things we don't need or use. This can
be a very hard step for some people since they like to
keep everything they’ve ever come into contact with.
But this type of attitude only leads to clutter and
disorganization. So, if we don’t need it we need to get
rid of it
6

Step 2
2. The second step is straighten. So, once we’ve
cleared out the items we don’t need we need to
straighten up what’s left. The mantra of a place for
everything, and everything in its place fits this step
perfectly.
7

Step 3
3. The third step is sweep. This step is also often referred
to as shine. This is probably the most misunderstood
step of all since most assume this step simply means to
grab a broom and clean up. And while good old
fashioned sweeping is definitely important, this step is
far more than just cleaning. You see, the main
principle behind this step is to clean to inspect. In
other words, if you find yourself sweeping up the same
mess day after day you should do your best to
eliminate the source of the dirt.
8

Step 4
4. The fourth step is standardize. This step is focused on
creating standards so abnormalities are easily
recognized. Things like checklists and audits are very
helpful. Also, some companies even engage in
corporate 5S competitions where the monthly winner
gets to hold the local 5S trophy while the last place
team gets the opportunity to partake in a brown bag
lunch with the general manager of the facility as they
explain their plan to improve.
9

Step 5
5. Finally the last step is sustain or self discipline. The
key to this step is to apply positive tension. In other
words, for any improvements to sustain it must be
made clear that this is how we intend to operate as a
company. It’s similar to a rope. If a rope is pulled
tightly and we pull on it we get an immediate
response. Conversely, if the rope is loose and we pull
on it we may not know about it for some time. So, it
gets back to be able to identify abnormalities. With
positive tension we identify issues immediately… with
loose or no tension we don’t.
10

Sort
Sort
11

Overview
To sort simply means to remove unnecessary items
from the workplace that no longer add value.
Now these items can be anything. A few simple
examples of these “items” could be that old phone
book from 1996… to the obsolete tooling crammed in
your already over capacity warehouse… or the excess
paperwork devouring your office.
12

Cont’d
So no matter what the item is, in the end, all we need
to do is ask the question… do we really need this? And
as many Lean Six Sigma practitioners are fond of
saying … when in doubt, sort it out.
13

Why Sort
First of all, sorting can lead to a much safer workplace.
By clearing out the items you no longer need people
will have more room to work and things like trip
hazards and items falling off shelves will be greatly
reduced.
Additionally, sorting also improves workflow since
there is less clutter to deal with.
Next, done correctly, sorting will most definitely
increase productivity production and office
environments. I’ve personally seen examples of
productivity improving as much as 50% after simply
sorting and clearing out unneeded items from a work
cell.
14

Involve Accounting
Department
It’s extremely important to involve your sites
accounting or controller’s office in any sorting
activities since some items may still have book value
and will need to be properly accounted for. So make
sure to include them… you might even invite them to
help out.
15

3 Step Sorting Process
1. Evaluate and take pictures of the work area. To help
you get started we’ve provided a 5S evaluation form in
the resources section. It’s also extremely important to
take pictures during this evaluation step since referencing
them after improvements have been made can be very
enlightening.
2. Identify and red tag the items you no longer need. In
the next module we’ll explain exactly how to go about
red tagging since, while it’s not a complicated process,
there are some traps to avoid.
3. Decide what to do with the tagged items. Again, in the
next module we’ll offer some suggestions as to how you
might be able to clear some things out while also helping
others.
16

Red Tagging
17

Overview
Literally speaking, red tagging means to put red
colored tags on items that need to be evaluated as to
whether they’re needed or not.
It’s best for a person or group of people familiar with
the process to initially red tag an area. Then, others
can come in and offer their opinions as to whether
they agree.
18

Cont’d
Now, to be sure, red tagging can be a lot of fun…
especially since many people feel an amazing sense
of clarity after cleaning and organizing an area but if
done poorly and without proper planning red tagging
can also become an emotionally charged event…
especially if disagreements as to whether something is
needed or not arise.
So, it goes without that saying that it’s extremely
important to be courteous and respectful – especially
when you’re in another persons work area during a
red tagging event.
19

Steps to Red Tagging
1. The first step is to identify the target area for red
tagging. Now since you can’t clean the whole world
it’s important to define the area in which you plan to
do the tagging and stick to that area. Once
completed, you can move onto other areas.
2. The second step is to define the criteria for which
you’ll red tag something. This is extremely important as
it helps people objectively determine if an item in the
workplace should be red tagged or left alone. A
common criterion is to base decisions on what’ll be
needed for the coming month. If items are clearly
needed to meet the demands of the coming month
they can stay. If they’re not needed they can either
be disposed of or stored in another location.
20

Cont’d
3. The third step is to create the actual red tags.
We’ve provided some templates you can use in the
resources section to get started but we do advise you
to make the red tags “your own” since you know your
organization better than we do.
4. The fourth step is to conduct the red tag session. The
best advice we can offer is to begin at one end of the
defined area and work your way through the area
while red tagging anything that meets the established
criteria. Now an extremely important point I want to
stress here is that red tagging is not a job for the lone
ranger. Instead, a strong and united team effort is
required in order for red tagging to succeed.
21

Cont’d
5. The fifth step has us evaluating the red tagged items
using the criteria established in step 2. Some examples
of things you may choose to do are throw the item in
the trash, transfer it to another area, or sell it. Again,
you should all agree on these criteria as a team while
doing what works best for your organization.
6. After evaluating the red tags it’s time to dispose of
obviously unnecessary items. Again, as mentioned in
the sort module, be sure to work with your accounting
organization if you’re dealing with items that may
have book value. To be safe, we always recommend
the early involvement of the local controller in any 5S
initiative.
22

Cont’d
7. The last step of the red tagging process is to move
any remaining items that have not been thrown away
or haven’t found a new home into the red tagged
items holding area. Some companies call this the
bone yard. This area is basically for items we’re just not
sure if we should get rid of yet we don’t really have a
home for them.
23

Straighten
24

Cont’d
Formally defined, straightening means to arrange all
necessary items in such a way as to maximize
economy of movement. In other words we should
place the things we use most close to us in a clearly
labelled and designated place.
25

Cont’d
Really, all we’re doing in the straighten step is asking
the question… what’s the right place for the items we
use most. Now with this said, straighten doesn’t simply
mean to “put things in neat rows” as the name might
imply… instead it means to find a place for everything
while ensuring everything is in its place. Some actually
refer to this step as “set in order”.
26

Why Straighten?
1. First of all, once items have been organized and
straightened they're easy to find and return. As an
example, if you mistakenly grabbed some red apples
instead of green apples in this store it wouldn’t take you
long to remedy the situation since this particular
supermarket excels at the straighten step of 5S.
2. Next, straightening also makes things much easier to
find which in turn eliminates the frustration caused when
we are searching for things.
3. And a fact most people don’t initially think about is
that straightening also reduces inventory since things
don’t get lost and you don’t buy extra things you don’t
need since you already have them (and can find them).
27

Cont’d
4. These are just a few examples of why straightening is
so important. There are many more reasons such as
the fact that the straighten step is actually at the core
of so many important lean and business principles
such as safety, ergonomics, quality, inventory control,
productivity, standard work, the visual workplace and
employee morale.
28

3 Steps to Straightening
1. Once we’re done sorting and getting rid of the
things we no longer need we then need to
understand the current situation. In other words, we
need to understand what’s needed in the way of tools
or supplies at the place the work is done. We also
need to understand the standard work or the things
the person doing the job does on a regular basis.
2. Next, we must then decide where things belong
based on our understanding of the work that’s done.
3. Finally, once we know where to put things we must
determine how things should be stored since making
things easy to find doesn’t always mean they’re easy
to retrieve.
29

Point of Use
Point of use describes when materials, tools, and parts
are located close to the process they’ll be used. When
items are placed at point of use they’re immediately
available within arms reach. This makes things safer
and more efficient since wasted motion, waiting, and
correction is all but eliminated.
30

Three F Standards
In order to properly store things it is recommended
that the following points be taken into considerations.
Namely:
• Fixed location: Items have a dedicated location and
don’t “wander”
• Fixed item: A place for everything, and everything in its
place
• Fixed quantity: Only a pre-determined amount of items
can be stored (no mound hills allowed)
31

Sweep
Sweep
32

Overview
Formally defined, in the context of 5S, sweep means
to clean in such as way as to identify and remove the
sources of contamination.
Obviously this definition is much more than many
make this step out to be. You see, a commo.n
misunderstanding about 5S is that is about sweeping
and cleaning up. It’s not
33

Cont’d
In fact, it’s about NOT cleaning. Here’s how it works:
first, we do an initial physical Sweep to make
everything clean by picking up trash, sweeping the
floors clean, and wiping down machines and
equipment. Then, we do a visual Sweep each day
and notice where things are getting dirty again. And
during these daily sweeps we write down the reasons
why the mess occurred and take actions to eliminate
the root causes.
34

Cleaning means Inspection
Another important concept is that cleaning means
inspection. If you’ve ever hand washed and waxed a
car you know that there’s no better way to find all the
little dings and dents on your car since you’re
touching it and looking at far more closely than you
normally would. Well the exact same thing occurs in
our offices, factories and hospitals when cleaning
things.
35

Why Sweep?
First of all, organizations that struggle with the sweep or
shine step often suffer from poor morale since simple
things like sunlight never makes it through the grime on
the windows. And studies have shown that the
environment people live and work in has a direct
impact on how they behave. Some even go so far as
to say… live like an animal, behave like an animal.
36

Cont’d
2. Another benefit of sweep is that it improves safety
by reducing things like slips along with a myriad of
other things
3. Another benefit of sweep is that it improves prevents
breakdowns. In fact research has shown again and
again that dirt and contamination are a chief reason
for machine breakdowns, as are things like fluid leaks,
air leaks, and dirty air filters
37

Clean with Meaning
The first thing we must always do during the sweep step is
clean with meaning. In other words, think about how to
eliminate the cause of the dirt altogether? And as we
clean with meaning there are 4 key points we must stay
laser focused on.
1. They are to first restore things to good conditions. So, if
your workplace is a complete disaster… WE WILL need to
get busy and clean it up.
 2. The second step is to find the sources of fifth. So, for
example, if the printer in your office is leaking ink don’t
just clean it up… find out why it’s leaking.
 3. This leads us directly to the 3rd step which is to
eliminate the root causes of the issue altogether. So, in
the case of the printer this may mean bringing in the
printer repairman or fixing the problem ourselves.
38

Cont’d
4. Finally, the last point calls us to reduce the need to
clean at all. Very rarely will we ever get to a point
where no cleaning is ever needed… but this doesn’t
mean we shouldn’t aim for this ideal state by staying
focused on finding the sources of filth and eliminating
them.
39

The Sweep Recipe
1. Own the Zone. The first step is to assign zones of
responsibility. Everyone should be assigned a zone
within the area and be made responsible for keeping
it in order. Key considerations should be the time it
takes to do daily maintenance, and the impact the
member has with respect to keeping the area clean.
In other words, everyone should clean their own room.
2. Set Standards. The second step is to set standards to
sweep. Just because many of the daily cleaning
operations don’t actually add value to our product or
service doesn’t mean that we can’t create standard
work for them. By doing this we can find ways to
improve or eliminate the tasks we’re doing.
40

Cont’d
3. Keep to the clock. The third step is to keep to the
clock. If anyone has kids they know that if you allow
them all day to clean their rooms, that’s exactly how
long it will take. Therefore, be sure to determine and
indicate the allowed time to perform the daily activity
with regards to 5S.
4. Start at the same time. The fourth step is to start at
the same time. This makes it easy to see if proper work
assignments have been made with regards to daily
maintenance. And if they’re not… adjustments can
be made.
41

Standardize
42

Overview
In the context of 5S standardize is simply the result of
doing the first three steps properly, namely- Sort,
Straighten and Sweep.
In fact, many companies actually refer to it as 3S and
not 5S, while some call it 4S, and yet others add safety
and call it 6S. And while none of these are wrong or
better than the other it goes without saying that to
excel at Lean we must at a minimum, the Sort,
Straighten and Sweep steps.
43

Cont’d
Along these lines, Taiichi Ohno, one of the chief
architects of the Toyota Production System was fond
of saying, “where there is no standard there can be no
improvement.” In other words, if there is no
consistency to the way work is done how could one
ever expected to improve it.
44

Cont’d
Another way off looking at it is all we’re doing with this
step is making what we want done VISUAL in nature so
there’s no guessing involved since making things in our
factories, offices, and other places of work visual is
essential to success of 5S as it helps everyone know
what to do and how to do it. It also helps us identify
when something is not right allowing us to implement a
countermeasure immediately.
45

Why Standardize
46

Cont’d
So in addition to these important facts, there is
another extremely powerful reason standardization is
so important.
This reason is the second law of thermodynamics
otherwise known as entropy. Now, if you force
yourselves to think back to your college or high school
days you’ll recall that entropy is a measure of the
disorder in any system. Put another way, entropy helps
us measure the energy that disperses or spread out in
a process.
47

Cont’d
So, for example, when you drive over a nail your tire
eventually blows out. Here in Texas we like our
backyard barbeques. And when I’m done cooking my
food, my grill eventually cools off, even in the hot
Texas air.
These are both examples of entropy at its best. With
this said, when we sort, straighten, and sweep an area
into a thing of beauty it’s also entropy that does its
very best to undo it. So you could say that this
standardize step essentially keeps its eye on entropy
and helps us continuously fight against it.
48

Examples and Techniques
As a quick review, visual management is used to make
it clear what is “normal”. This reduces discussion about
what the standard should be. Standards can always
be improved, but once a standard is set it’s important
to make it visual so that it’s maintained. A good way
to maintain and improve performance is to make the
status visible.
49

Cont’d
There are many examples of visual management and
standardization available including:
• Safety Crosses
• Color Coding Standards
• Standard Work Documents
• Standardized Cleaning Lists
• Location Control Marks
• Position Marks / Shadow Boards
• Standardized Filing / Diagonal Tape
50

Sustain
51

Overview
Formally defined, in the context of 5S, sustain means
to have the commitment and self discipline to
maintain the previous four steps.
In the 5S overview module we introduced the concept
of a rope to describe sustain since when you tug on a
rope with no slag in it you get and immediate
response. Lets explore iy deeply.
52

Cont’d
It’s sort of like this… if a company is serious about the
sustain step there would be no way an employee of
the company could ever walk buy a piece of trash on
the floor without picking it up since, staying with the
analogy, the sustain rope has been pulled tight and
any abnormality, like some trash on the ground, is
immediately noticed.
53

Cont’d
However, when the rope isn’t tight, meaning this last
step of sustain is more of fad than a way of life… that
piece of trash may lay on the floor all day before
someone even notices it.
54

Why Sustain
The first reason the sustain step is so important is it
drives accountability throughout the organization. You
see, most people are far more likely to follow through
with a promise when they know someone else is
watching and participating in the same initiative
55

Cont’d
Next in addition to accountability, a little friendly
competition can result from the sustain step. Later in
the module we’ll explain some techniques many
companies use to keep everyone focused on not only
maintaining, but also improving 5S levels. Of course
this competition must be kept in check and not taken
too far since, in the end, the success of the company
is more important than success of a work area
56

Cont’d
3. Finally, perhaps the most important aspect of the
sustain step is the fact that the entire organization
continuously learns and improves. In fact, if we look at
the PDCA wheel, which as an aside, will be covered in
much more detail in a future course, we see parallels
to 5S. The first three steps of sort, straighten, and
sweep are covered in plan and do while the last two
steps of standardize and sustain are covered in the
check and act portions of PDCA.
57

Techniques to Sustain
1. The first technique to make clear links between 5S
and SQDC metrics, which stand for safety, quality,
delivery, and costs. Various graphs and charts linking
5S to other critical metrics should be in place.
2. The second technique to sustain is for supervision
and management to practice genchi genbutsu which
means to go and see for yourself. In fact, for 5S to
sustain… management MUST make it a point to walk
the floor at least once a day to find out what
problems exist and how they can support their
employees.
58

Cont’d
3. Another powerful technique is to implement what
some call a 5 minute clean program where each and
every employee cleans and tidies up for a designated
period of time. Some find 5 minutes each day to be
enough while some may need more and some need
less. The exact time period is not as important as
making sure cleaning and workplace organization
becomes engrained in the daily work of all associates
and not just something that happens during the
annual spring cleaning blitz.
59

Cont’d
4. Next, having employees audit one another’s work
area at least once a month is another excellent
technique used by many companies. Of course clear
guidelines and specifications as to how to score things
must be made clear to avoid potential conflict.
Another benefit of this technique is that employees
learn from each other and are able to share best
practices while offering advice to one another.
60

Cont’d
5. Many companies also find that a friendly 5S
competition between work areas, including front
office areas, can be a great way to generate
excitement around the 5S program.
61

Cont’d
6. Finally, the last technique we’d like to propose is to
aim for your entire facility to be tour ready with no
notice. In other words, if the CEO of your company
called and said he or she would be in the plant in 5
minutes would you be ready for them? Another more
practical way of ensuring you’re tour ready is to invite
others, including key customers, to tour your plant…
you could also schedule family tours from time to time
as these events force us to constantly stay on top of
sorting, straightening, and sweeping.
62

For More
We render Training & Consulting Services in the following
areas
 Lean Implementation
 Lean Factory
 Lean Manufacturing
 Lean Six Sigma
(Yellow, Green, Champion, Black, Master Black Belts)
 5S Implementation
63

Our Contact
Web Address: www.ritetracconsult.com.ng
Email: info@ritetracconsult.com.ng
Telephone: +234-8038769323
+234-8037090474
64

5S Implementation For Organizations

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