To 5s or Not to 5s

5S SYSTEM : AN OVERVIEW

Richa Grover , Shailee Dalal, Aditya Singh

Department of Industrial Engineering, Pandit Deendayal Petroleun University

ABSTRACT

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Every one, including animals prefers cleanliness. Many organizations, particularly manufacturing sectors, have overgrown their premises, because of increase production, i n c r e a s e d m a n p o w e r, a c c u m u l a t i o n o f materials and machinery over years of p r o d u c t i o n a c t i v i t y. T h i s h a s l e d t o cluttered, dirty workplaces with increased risk of accidents. The health and safety executive recognized this problem and set up Health and Safety laboratories (HSL) to evaluate a technique that is widely used in Japan. This technique is called 5 -S. This is a method for establishing and maintaining a quality working environment. 5S is the key step in w o r k p l a c e e n v i r o n m e n t . 5 S ’s a r e derived from the first letters of the w o r d S E I R I , S E I TO N , S E I S O , SEIKETSU, and SHITSUKE which m e a n s S o r t i n g , S e t I n o r d e r, S h i n e o r Scrub, Standardize and Sustain or self-discipline respectively This article aims at explaining the importance of 5 S i n t o d a y ’s s c e n a r i o . I t d e s c r i b e s a l l t h e 5 S ’s a n d m e t h o d s o f i m p l e m e n t i n g 5S overcoming the shortcomings of 5 .

ADVANTAGES OF 5S SYSTEM

• LESS WASTE • REDUCED SPACE USED FOR STORAGE • IMPROVED MAINTENANCE • IMPROVED SAFETY • BETTER, MORE COMMITTED EMPLOYEES • IMPROVED QUALITY • COST REDUCTION

OPTIMIZING 5S

• Don't See Your 5S Initiative as a Stand Alone Effort, as it may lead to under utilization of resources. • 5S should not be implemented at manufacturing places only. Managers and supervisors, by adapting 5S method, should set a strong example for the remaining employees. • 5S methods should not be a one time affair for employees, it should be included in their daily job description. • 5S, on its own, is...