Know the business strategy of The 5 S Plus
New vision for news businesses

The business concept of the “5 S” takes its name from five Japanese words that begin with the letter s: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke. Western businesses have adapted the terminology calling these campaigns by their symbols in English such as the 5 S Campaign; for Sort, Straighten, Scrub, Systematize and Standardize.

This strategic vision has gained great popularity in Western businesses starting with the very low costs that putting it into effect involves, subsequent savings in resources, accident reduction, increased motivation of personnel, and increased quality and productivity.

The 5 S, together with the standardization (documentation of the best way perform the work) and the elimination of the “muda” (waste in Japanese) constitute the fundamental pillars for the practice of “gemba kaizen” (continuous improvement in the place of action). The reason for the “Plus” is that these practices have been enriched starting both from the experiences as well as the new coaching techniques, so
current among business “gurus”.


Seiri – “When less is more”

Executing seiri signifies differentiating the necessary elements from those that are not, getting rid of the latter. In daily work only a small number of countless elements present in the gemba (workplace) are needed. The gemba is full of unused machines, dies and tools, defective products, work in progress, raw materials, supplies and parts, spare parts, racks, containers, desks, work benches, document files, shelves, platforms, forms, among others.

The placement of red labels of considerable size (on unnecessary elements) enable visualizing after selecting the important quantity of surplus or unnecessary elements.

In businesses that do not practice the discipline of the 5 S Plus, the chaos that surrounds its employees absorbs their energy. Being freed from this chaos grants sufficient energy and clarity to produce more and better ideas.


Seiton – “A place for each thing and each thing in its place”

Seiton involves arranging in an orderly manner all the essential elements that are left after practicing seiri, so that these will be easily accessed. It also signifies supplying a convenient, safe and orderly place to each thing and keeping each thing there. The placement of the objects in their respective places will mean being able to find them easily, avoid mislaying them, and prevent possible accidents.


Seiso - “cleans, shines, and gives splendour”

Seiso signifies cleaning the work setting, including machines and tools, as well as floors, walls and other areas of the workplace. It is also considered a fundamental activity for verification. Thus, while the machine is being cleaned we can easily detect an oil leak, a crack that is forming in the casing, or loose bolts or screws. Once these problems have been recognized, they can be easily solved. Moreover, a shining physical space is a source of motivation for employees.


Seiketsu - “discipline and safety”

Seiketsu signifies keeping clean the person by means of the use of adequate work clothes, goggles, gloves, helmets, facemasks and safety shoes, as well as maintaining a healthy and clean work environment. It is here where discipline takes on a fundamental importance, offering the information so that the employee is at all times aware of the risks, and mentally prepared to act in conformity with the safety norms of the business.


Shitsuke - “self-discipline”

Shitsuke involves self-discipline. The 5 S can be considered a philosophy, a way of life in our daily work. Overcome the resistance to change, by means of information, recruitment and offering the necessary elements, self-discipline becomes fundamental to maintain and improve day to day the new order established.


Conclusions

The 5 S are not a fashion, nor the programme of the month, but rather conduct for daily life. As a preliminary aspect to the 5 S effort, time must be given for all the persons in the company to analyse the philosophy implicit in the 5 S and its benefits.

For more information
If you are interested in this article and would like to have it in digital format, visit the breaking news section of the Top Cable web : http://www.topcable.com