About 5S

One of the methods of determining an organisations approach to its business is to

evaluate its workplace organisation capability & visual management standards.

5S engages people through the use of 'Standards' and Discipline'.

It is not just about housekeeping, but concentrating on maintaining the standards &
discipline to manage the organisation - all achieved by upholding & showing respect for
the Gemba [workplace] every day.

The 5 Steps are as follows:

Sort: Sort out & separate that which is needed & not needed in the area.
Straighten: Arrange items that are needed so that they are ready & easy to use.
Clearly identify locations for all items so that anyone can find them & return them
once the task is completed.
Shine: Clean the workplace & equipment on a regular basis in order to maintain
standards & identify defects.
Standardise: Revisit the first three of the 5S on a frequent basis and confirm the
condition of the Gemba using standard procedures.
Sustain: Keep to the rules to maintain the standard & continue to improve every
day.

Benefits of 5S workplace organisation

 5S relates to workplace organisation and forms a solid foundation upon which many
organisations base their drive for continuous improvement. It is equally applicable &
successful in all sectors helping to achieve high impact results.

It is a systematic and methodical approach allowing teams to organise their workplace

in the safest and most efficient manner.

The discipline to check & repair equipment is included & adopted. The entire process is
managed through the use of team generated audit documents, completed on an agreed
frequency by responsible owners within the Gemba.

Summary
Improved safety
5S becomes a fundamental business measure & key driver for Kaizen
Forms a solid foundation upon which to build continuous improvement
Employees gain a sense of ownership, involvement & responsibility
Reduction in waste as defined by Ohnos seven forms of waste
Improved performance in productivity, quality & morale leads to increased
profitability

What is 5S

One of the most powerful Lean Manufacturing Tools and a cornerstone of any
successful implementation is that of 5S, but what is 5S and its 5 Steps of Seiri, Seiton,
Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke?

5S is a simple tool for organizing your workplace in a clean, efficient and safe manner to
enhance your productivity, visual management and to ensure the introduction of
standardized working.
Most of the other definitions of 5S and descriptions that I see here on the internet
concentrate heavily on the aesthetics and the efficiency gains that you achieve through
implementing 5S and neglect the real aim of 5S; the need to introduce standard
operational practices to ensure efficient, repeatable, safe ways of working.

In addition to standardised working which provides you with a stable foundation to build
all of your other improvements through implementing Lean Tools, you also provide a
highly visual workplace. One of the most important factors of 5S is that it makes
problems immediately obvious.
5S is a team run process and should be conducted by the people who work within the
area in which the principles of 5S are being applied, it is not a tool that can be applied
by an outsider onto an area without the knowledge and cooperation of the people within
it.

Origins of 5S
5S as a methodology has come out of the techniques within Total Productive
Maintenance (TPM) and from the Toyota Production System (TPS). However many of
the individual components such as creating ergonomic and efficient work places can be
seen to owe their roots to people such as Taylor for his work on scientific management
and Frank Gilbreths time and motion studies.

Frank Gilbreth showed that by improving the ergonomics of a bricklayers working

methods he could reduce the number of individual movements required and increase
the hourly output from 120 to 350 bricks laid each hour.

The Concept of 5S
5S is a methodical way to organize your workplace and your working practices as well
as being an overall philosophy and way of working. It is split into 5 phases, each named
after a different Japanese term beginning with the letter S; (Seiri, Seiton, Seiso,
Seiketsu, Shitsuke) hence the name 5 S.

These five distinct phases are (with English descriptions);

 Steps of 5S

5S Seiri; Sort, Clearing, Classify

5S Seiton; Straighten, Simplify, Set in order, Configure
5S Seiso; Sweep, shine, Scrub, Clean and Check
5S Seiketsu; Standardize, stabilize, Conformity
5S Shitsuke; Sustain, self discipline, custom and practice

And for completeness, some companies add a 6th (6S) of Safety, although in my
opinion this should be an integral part of the steps of 5S and not a separate stage in
itself.

5C and CANDO

There has been reluctance for some companies in the past to take up Japanese
initiatives for business improvement, so some consultancies and other bodies have
come up with non-Japanese equivalents; two of which are listed below as alternatives
for 5S.

5S is also known in some quarters as 5C, with the S words replaced by

Clearing,

Configure,

Clean and Check,

Conformity and finally

Custom and practice.

CANDO is;
 Cleanup,

Arrange,

Neatness,

Discipline, and

Ongoing Improvement.

5S Definition

Below are definitions and explanations of each step of the 5S process;

5S Seiri or Sort

5S Seiri removing Clutter

5S Seiri or Sort is the first step in 5S, it refers to the sorting of the clutter from the other
items within the work area that are actually needed. This stage requires the team to
remove all items that clearly do not belong in the working area and only leave those that
are required for the processes in question.
5S Seiton or Straighten / Set in order

5S Seiton organized workspace

5S Seiton or Straighten is the process of taking the required items that are remaining
after the removal of clutter and arranging them in an efficient manner through the use of
ergonomic principles and ensuring that every item has a place and that everything is in
its place.

5S Seiso or Sweep / shine

5S Seiso Cleaning or Sweep

5S Seiso or Sweep is the thorough cleaning of the area, tools, machines and other
equipment to ensure that everything is returned to a nearly new status. This will ensure
that any non-conformity stands out; such as an oil leak from a machine onto a bright,
newly painted clean floor.

5S Seiketsu or Standardize

5S Standardize Seiketsu

5S Seiketsu or standardize is the process of ensuring that what we have done within the
first three stages of 5S become standardized; that is we ensure that we have common
standards and ways of working. Standard work is one of the most important principles of
Lean manufacturing.

5S Shitsuke or Sustain
 5S Sustain Shitsuke

The final stage is 5S Shitsuke or sustain, ensuring that the company continue to
continually improve using the previous stages of 5S, maintain housekeeping, and
conduct audits and so forth. 5S should become part of the culture of the business and
the responsibility of everyone in the organization.

What is 5S PPTx presentation

What is 5S Powerpoint presentation free to download.

What is 5S PDF Download

What is 5S Presentation 5S PDF for free download

5S Training Presentations and Downloads

For a full series of 5S presentations and 5S training downloads follow this link; 5S
Training PPT and PDF

5S Definition Video
Implementing 5S

If you wish to implement a 5S Program then you will need conduct training and
awareness sessions within your organization to ensure that everyone knows what is 5S
and how it fits into an overall Lean Manufacturing implementation. These links will help
with this process; 5S training will describe my format for any 5S training program, how to
run in house 5S Training Course will give advice if you wish to train in house and hiring
a 5S Consultant will help you find the right expert to help your company. You may also
wish to purchase 5S training materials.

5S Resources

The following are a selection of resources that may support your 5S implementation;

5S Pocket Guides as quick reference aids that ca be carried by anyone.

5S DVDs as a helpful training aid or as a general reminder for your workforce.

5S Books which can provide helpful advice, these are also available as 5S
eBooks to download.

5S Supplies such as floor marking tapes and red tags.

5S games and simulations to make training more fun and relevant.

5S Posters which can ensure your message remains current.

If you would like more information with regard to what is 5S (Seiri, Seiton, Seiso,
Seiketsu, Shitsuke) or have any questions regarding this 5S definition then feel free to
leave any questions or comments in the box below.
 FIVE S (5S) TUTORIAL
The original 5S principles were stated in Japanese. Because of their proven value, they have been
translated and restated in English. The 5S is a mantra of sorts designed to help build a quality work
environment, both physically and mentally.

The 5S condition of a work area is critical to the morale of employees and the basis of customers
first impressions. Managements attitude regarding employees is reflected in the 5S condition of the
work area.

The 5S philosophy applies in any work area. The elements of 5S are simple to learn and important to
implement:

SortEliminate whatever is not needed

StraightenOrganize whatever remains

ShineClean the work area

StandardizeSchedule regular cleaning and maintenance

SustainMake 5S a way of life

Benefits to be derived from implementing 5S include:

Improved safety

Higher equipment availability

Lower defect rates

Reduced costs

Increased production agility and flexibility

Improved employee morale

 Better asset utilization

Enhanced enterprise image to customers, suppliers, employees, and management

The figure below is an example of a 5S workplace scan diagnostic checklist.