Without a robust 5S discipline, a Lean system is rendered ineffective.

As Celestica’s Lean global architect, it’s my job to make sure Lean principles are in place and at work everywhere in the organization. One of the keys to making Lean work is a process, or approach to work, known as 5S.

At its essence, Lean is a business system that enlists the efforts of each employee in the endless pursuit of new ways to eliminate waste from every process undertaken. As part of that process, 5S helps in the efforts to do more with less – less human effort, less equipment, less space, less inventory, less materials, less time.

It’s more than a business system. Lean is a key element of company culture, and as such, 5S should be viewed as critical to the success of Lean thinking and concepts. Without a robust 5S system in place, the other Lean tools can be rendered ineffective. In the world of Lean, everything is connected. Let’s take a look at what 5S is about and how to make it work.

5S is an organized, relentless, never-ending effort to remove all physical waste from the workplace; set things in order; clean and inspect constantly; and create a culture that promotes, endorses and rewards all of the above – from management to the shop floor.

Sort, Set In Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain – this is what 5S means, and the benefits are clear and proven. The underlying principle on which we base our 5S approach is simple. There is a place for everything, and everything in its place – clean and ready for use.

The advantages of 5S are numerous, but most important, it helps to:

• Improve safety and ergonomics.
• Reduce wasted searching time.
• Reduce unplanned downtime.
• Increase quality.
• Establish discipline.

“Sort” calls for us to distinguish between what is needed and what is not in the workplace as part of our productivity. This involves employees taking the time to actually view, touch and identify everything in their path and remove whatever is not absolutely required, including any tools, objects, supplies, waste, byproducts, containers – literally anything not needed to enhance productivity.

In production areas, this can include everything from cabinets, documentation, packaging material and shelves, to supplies, tables and beyond. In the office, this means books, business documents, correspondence, equipment, magazines, records, samples, shelves, supplies. No stone remains unturned. In fact, we like to say, when in doubt, move it out!

“Set In Order” means finding a good place for everything and then keeping everything in its place. We assign a permanent place for all items and try to keep everything easy to spot visually. This makes it simple to notice when something is missing.

For this facet of 5S, we also assign colors to represent different things. For instance, green represents finished goods and work in progress. Blue represents raw materials. Yellow designates aisles and walking paths (with yellow stripes indicating “keep out”). Red represents scrap, defects, warranty materials or broken tools. Black designates tools, fixtures or trash bins. Set In Order requires that we group items logically, consider each item’s best location, and keep shared items in a centralized place.

“Shine” signifies cleaning and inspecting the workplace regularly. It sounds simple, but this stage offers distinct advantages. Cleaning and inspection, in addition to eliminating potentially harmful dirt, dust, oil, scrap, etc., promotes early problem detection.

At Celestica, each work area on the manufacturing floor is swept and wiped down. We integrate this into everyday tasks, making it second nature. We’re always looking for new ways to clean. Ultimately, our goal is not aesthetics; it’s to be able to see problems early and keep equipment running. With that in mind, we consider the cleaning function before we even position a new piece of equipment. In each work area, a cleaning schedule and responsibilities are posted for all to see.

“Standardize” indicates setting and sharing established standards, and making those standards obvious to everyone participating in the work. We use the same high standard of organization and cleanliness for all areas, and maintain ongoing checklists to ensure compliance. We also stress the need to eliminate excess storage areas and flat storage spaces that can undermine 5S standards and efforts.

“Sustain” involves practicing and repeating the 5S discipline until it becomes a way of life – a systematic approach to completing tasks as efficiently as is humanly possible. It’s interesting to note that people generally do not see the strict 5S process as a chore or as a tiresome routine. In fact, employees come to embrace the simplified and efficient approach to work that it creates.

Once people have the 5S mentality at work, it often spills over into their home life. For instance, I organize and maintain my garden shed and home office using 5S principles. 5S is an upfront effort, and small yet continuous initiatives that maintain the ideal state are far less time-consuming than cleaning up the occasional big mess.

Robert Hemmant is global Lean architect at Celestica (celestica.com). His column appears bimonthly.

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