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Using 5S Tools to Keep a Clean and Efficient Workspace

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clean workplace

5S is used in all kinds of businesses ranging from occupations in manufacturing to office jobs. Its ubiquity is due to the relatively simple and cohesive application that results in greatly improved working conditions not only for employees but for the success of the company as a whole. Those improvements boil down to a spotless workspace that results in efficiency, improvements regarding safety, and the elimination of waste. Now, the five steps that 5S is …

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Foundational Concepts of Lean

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foundational concepts of Lean

Lean manufacturing utilizes a number of strategies and tools to improve the business by boosting productivity and eliminating waste. The following are just a handful of the most common Lean tools, many have been adopted from manufacturing in Japan and the Toyota Production System . 5S (The Visual Workplace) 5S is a system of creating workplace organization to reduce/eliminate waste created by clutter, lack of information, duplication, underutilized space, inconsistency in processes, etc. Components of …

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The 5S Shine Pillar – Inspection and Maintenance

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5S Shine Inspection and Maintenance

The third step of 5S is Seiso, a Japanese term translated to mean Shine. During Shine, workers are encouraged to do a deep cleaning of their space, ensuring there is no grime, dust, or oil spills remaining. However, it is important to remember that cleaning is not the only facet of this phase and that Shining also includes inspection and routine maintenance. While employees are completing the sanitization of their work cells, it is a …

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Using Kanban to Reduce Waste and Inventory

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Reducing Inventory with Kanban

Utilizing the kanban system in your manufacturing facility can greatly reduce wastes, eventually adding value for the end customer. Kanban is commonly used in Lean manufacturing settings and JIT manufacturing settings, A kanban system utilizes visual cues to trigger specific actions, effectively cultivating a pull production system. What’s the difference between a pull system and a push system? Pull systems and push systems are two opposite approaches to production and supply chain management. Pull systems, …

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How to Organize Your Shop: Try 5S

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Are you needing some organization in your workshop?  Do you spend more time trying to find tools and supplies and less time actually working? Are you hoping to improve your efficiency and cut your waste down?  Would doing all of this help to improve quality to the customer and possibly even reduce prices? Well, you are starting to find yourself approaching the tenets of something many in the manufacturing industry have studied and implemented for …

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Executing a 5S Launch

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If you’re considering implementing a 5S system in a facility, it is essential to take the time to do it right. When done properly, the 5S system can be an effective way to clean and organize a workplace, allowing it to run more efficiently. If the 5S launch isn’t well thought out,  it can lead to disaster. One of the most important things to have in place for a 5S launch is the full support of upper …

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What is 5S and How Should We Implement It?

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5S is, in the simplest terms, a method of creating, maintaining and improving a workplace which is clean, orderly, and has methods for detecting waste and errors built in. When used properly, it will help to identify areas where things are being done inefficiently, and come up with solutions for improvement. It will help to take existing processes, and standardize them so they are always done in the most efficient way possible. The 5S process can …

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What is Kanban?

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Kanban is a process management technique which can be used for a wide range of different things. It was developed using the Toyota “just-in-time” system, but it isn’t restricted to just manufacturing scenarios. In its simplest form, Kanban can be seen as a production system where new requests come in at one end and completed products come out the other. In the middle is where all the production steps are taken. The brilliance of the system is that …

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Kanban Systems

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Kanban systems are an important scheduling system used in ‘just-in-time’ production facilities.  The word Kanban actually means signboard or billboard, and with these systems each part or product is only supplied as it is needed.  This critical part of the just in time method of manufacturing helps to eliminate waste in a variety of ways which is then intended to help improve the value given to customers, and in turn increase profits. How Kanban Works …

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5S and 6S

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The traditional 5 “S’s” of 5s are Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.  Facilities around the world have been following the 5S standards for years with incredible successes.  Some companies today, however, want to add in another S to try to further improve on this already very popular set of standards.  The sixth S is for safety which most people would agree is always of utmost importance in any type of facility today. Those who …

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