Five S in the workplace

The 5S quality tool is formed from five Japanese concepts that begin with the letter “S” and are used to establish a workplace that is conducive to visual control and lean manufacturing. The 5S pillars are simple to learn and crucial to implement. Many organizations basically knows about the 5 S of the workplace that include sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain however it is sad to know that majority of this companies only follow 3 steps assuming the last two steps will be automatic. This blog will shed light on the 5 “S” that are used to establish a workplace that is conducive and sustainable.

Sort.The first S is Seiri in Japanese which translate to sort in English which curtails to the action of separating needed tools, parts and instructions from unneeded materials and to remove the unneeded ones. The advantage of sorting things in the workplace by employees and managers will be an added advantage as you will save time looking for things and will have more time to work on important tasks. As organization that sort things in order can improve the flow of communication between managers and their team, making the team more productive.

Set in order

The second S is Seiton in Japanese, which translates to put in order and refers to the action of neatly arranging and labelling parts and tools for convenience of use. Order and cleanliness are vital not only in the house, but also in the business and the office. Maintaining order and cleanliness is critical to worker performance and productivity.

Shine

The third S is Seiso in Japanese, which translates to cleanliness or making things shine and is based on the action of cleaning the work space through a cleanup effort. “It’s a mistake for building owners or facilities managers to consider commercial cleaning as a cost,” says Stephen Collins, founder and president of Stephco Cleaning & Restoration in Holbrook, Massachusetts. A frequent cleaning program preserves and protects the assets of the building, such as carpets, floors, tile surfaces and equipment. It reduces wear and increases longevity.

Standardize

The fourth S translates to Seiketsu in Japanese, which translate to standardize which curtails the action of scheduling regular cleaning and maintenance by conducting seiri, seito and seiso daily. The advantage of standardization includes 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.

SustainShitsuke, which translates to sustain or maintain in Japanese, is the discipline of making 5S a way of life by developing the habit of always following the first four S’s. Employees are encouraged to use natural resources properly in sustainable workplaces. It entails preserving energy, water and other resources while continuing to produce the necessary goods or services. The knowledge on how to intergrate the 5 S in the workplace can only be found at Finstock Evarsity College, where we offer instructional resources of on maximizing potential in all organization using the 5 S quality tool. Enroll for a diploma course to get more equipped as a manager and as an employee and use this tool to your advantage.