| Many companies have been "attempting" 5s for | | | | to day efforts. |
| years with little to show for their efforts. Some have | | | | Typically companies obtain great results for the first |
| once again begun to roll it out once more after | | | | few months. Once the consultant has left and the 5S |
| halting the effort a few years back. | | | | Champion resigns or is transferred, the program |
| When you first got started, you learned about the | | | | looses steam and begins to fall apart. Soon, the |
| benefits of 5S, trained many of your employees on | | | | production floor is a mess. Tool boards are missing |
| the concepts and rolled out some process | | | | tools, floors are messy, and all sorts of equipment |
| improvement events in your operation. Yet you have | | | | and supplies hidden behind machines. Much of what |
| seen little in the way of benefits that your team had | | | | was done up to that point is gone. It becomes |
| hoped for. Is this 5S stuff really just another flavor | | | | increasingly difficult to get everyone excited about |
| of the month that is destined to go the way of so | | | | 5S once again. This cycle has a habit of repeating it |
| many of the company's past initiatives? The question | | | | self. Consultant comes, 5S program is initiated, the |
| is "are you really carrying out the 5S plan or are you | | | | consultant leaves, 5S dies. |
| simply "wishing for success." | | | | Where is the payback?" The answer lies in the |
| There are too many companies in the United States | | | | program processes and in the steps taken to sustain |
| and around the world that have had success | | | | all efforts (the fifth S). Management and the 5S team |
| implementing 5S techniques to think they are just a | | | | seem to look at 5S as a once and done approach, or |
| fad. The Toyotas, Harley Davidsons, General Electrics | | | | something you do on an annual basis when Upper |
| and thousands of others who have had success | | | | Management visits the plant. The problem in this lies |
| would argue that anyone can do it, but it does | | | | in the level of management's understanding of lean |
| require discipline and the desire for success. | | | | manufacturing, how to properly apply "Total Quality |
| Where does your implementation stand? Is everyone | | | | Methods" as well as tools and techniques for assuring |
| trained? Does communication run rampant? Does | | | | quality. Management and the 5S teams take a |
| everyone really understand what is expected? Is | | | | compartmentalized approach or as I like to call them |
| there true employee buy-in? Is the implementation | | | | chimneys (Cylinders filled with hot air and smoke that |
| timetable reasonable, considering the fact that you | | | | have no connection to other parts of the |
| still have to run a business? Does anyone follow up | | | | organization). |
| to see if there are problems that need resolution? If | | | | Stakeholders will only see results from 5S |
| the answer to any of these questions is no, then the | | | | implementation (or other Lean implementation) when |
| failure of the implementation rests squarely on the | | | | there is a system in place that sustains the program |
| shoulders of your organization. In fact, it is likely that | | | | and ensures that all personnel in the organization |
| if prior improvement efforts failed in your company, | | | | enroll in the 5S process and work to carry out the |
| you can point to the same reasons. | | | | principles and practices that make it work. No more |
| Some questions you might wish to consider include:: | | | | half hearted, poorly thought out attempts to apply |
| - Why did we stop our past 5S efforts? Which of | | | | 5S can be tolerated. 5S planners must base all change |
| those causes still exist? What have we learned from | | | | on business needs, they need to address quality, |
| the success or failure of our past 5S effort? | | | | cost, delivery, safety and the morale of the workers |
| - How stable are our processes? How can we use 5S | | | | in a comprehensive and on-going approach. They |
| to create stability? What is the impact of a lack of | | | | must learn to use the fundamental team tools that |
| 5S affecting Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety, and | | | | are applied in other areas of the company, but over |
| Morale? | | | | looked when it comes to sustaining 5S. The teams |
| - How standardized are our processes? Are they | | | | need to be able to conduct adequate process |
| documented? How quickly and easily can we access | | | | analysis, develop written documentation such as |
| those documents? How up to date are they? | | | | Detailed Process Sheets or Standard Operating |
| - How can we use 5S to simplify and improve our | | | | Procedures. They must be adept at identifying and |
| processes? Where can we use visual systems to | | | | resolving problems using a systems approach that is |
| highlight abnormalities? | | | | simple enough that anyone in the workforce can use |
| - What level of support are we receiving from | | | | it. |
| management?.No program, tool or technique alone | | | | 5S teams must move beyond Basic 5S and embrace |
| can improve a process or system and sustain that | | | | advanced 5S practices in order to obtain |
| improvement long-term. It takes strategic thinkers to | | | | Management support and commitment. The teams |
| successfully define the need for change in business | | | | must learn to speak the language of business. Only |
| terms. They then need the tools and a structure with | | | | when all of this occurs will you start to see the |
| in which to make sure that the efforts are sustained | | | | results you desire from your 5S program. |
| and the safety and quality remain the focus of day | | | | |