However, improving the work area to enhance efficiency is of nothing if the machinery and tools we use are damaged and in need of repair. I'm typing this now on a laptop and whilst I am nothing like my sister, who is a qualified PA, when it comes to words per minute, how less productive would my typing become if my keyboard was always sticking or my computer always crashed? That is the object of Shine, to clean, repair and maintain a spotless environment where every item is keep in optimal working condition and to make sure that it remains so.
More than any other step, it is probably this one that gets 5S the reputation of a cleaning exercise. However when we understand the reason behind the need for cleanliness we realize its relevance to TQM, or more appropriately TPM, (Total Productive Maintenance). By implementing Shine it becomes easier to spot the telltale signs that show us our equipment is in need of attention. Machinery leaking oil can go unnoticed if the floor or the machine is already covered in the stuff.
Over time what might have been a simple maintenance job if caught earlier, now becomes very expensive and may include having to replace the machine altogether. However on a spotlessly clean and shining floor, one drop of oil would be instantly noticeable allowing maintenance teams to remedy the problem immediately; and if the floor is already black - paint the area under these machines another color.
Making it the Standard
Now we should have a clean, orderly and efficient working environment. Whether we work in an office or on the factory floor, we can be pleased and have benefited from the reorganizing and cleaning performed in the previous three exercises. However this is the 5S method not 3S and next we move on to the fourth step - Standardize.
Standardize, as its name suggests, involves keeping sure that the new way of working is the one way of working. In companies that operate shift systems, confusion and thus errors can occur because different people work in different ways. One person likes to keep certain items over here, the next person, over there, and so on. Standardize puts pay to all that and through the use of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) ensures that the same procedures are followed in the same way and in the same order by all.
In it For Keeps
Finally we come to the most difficult stage in a 5S Kaizen program and it could be said the one with no end. Sustain is about ingraining the 5S Kaizen way into the very culture of our organization. Unless this happens then often old ways of working resurface, the place becomes gradually more cluttered and we all agree, “This approach just doesn't work in our environment.”
To counter this reoccurring problem, many companies introduce suggestion systems where at any time a member of staff can post an improvement suggestion to their managers with those that prove viable getting implemented and becoming part of the standardized working practice. Suggestion systems are also good for raising staff morale as employers feel their ideas are valued and that they belong and identify more with the company.
Whereas the first three steps, Sort, Straighten and Shine are very much workforce led, and Standardize, the managers, Sustain is very much an executive led stage in that only by their direction can such a program produce long term gains. Unless this is so, we will only receive very superficial and short-lived results for our efforts. Executives must be behind this effort and communicate clearly that others are empowered to follow this way and make the required changes where fit.
Biography
Andrew Scotchmer is a British writer and consultant recently acknowledged as a “renowned lean expert” by the American Society for Quality. His writings on Kaizen, change management and general management theory have been published and enjoyed in several countries including the UK, USA, South Africa and India, appearing in both paper and digital formats. Next year will see the publication of his book 5S Kaizen in 90 Minutes by Management Books 2000 Ltd. Andrew is also a sort after “charismatic and influential speaker” at business events and can be contacted on andrew@completekaizen.co.uk.
