Building a 5S Program That Doesn`t Suck
Welcome to The Operations Compass
The Operations Compass is written for leaders in manufacturing and industrial organizations responsible for turning priorities into results.
This month, Laine Harrett walks us through what separates successful 5S initiatives from ones that lose momentum after the first week.
Building a 5S Program That Doesn`t Suck
You’ve been keeping inventory for your entire organization for the past 20 years. You’ve got so much inventory that you’ve started to expand your storage, employees have been stockpiling materials at their workstation, and all of a sudden you have lost control of what you actually have available to use. You’ve tried different software, storage solutions, even thrown more people at the problem. Leadership may miss this hidden risk, yet phantom inventory—where the system shows stock that isn't on the shelf—halts work when you need it most and you now have a problem. Sound familiar? This problem plagues a lot of manufacturing organizations that are extremely complex and handle a lot of different materials or hardware.
Chasing Perfection
The answer to this problem may not lie in storage solutions, or even the amount of inventory that you’re handling. Look at this as an organizational or cultural problem. How is inventory a culture problem? Everyone handles organization differently, from the way they sort apps on their phone to how they keep papers in a file cabinet. This can drive inefficiencies in how people work or manage resources within your organization. Without a system in place to keep everyone aligned, you will forever be battling against each other’s “right” way of doing things. The key to making improvements is to not chase perfection from the start, but to make continuous improvement.
Introducing 5S: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize, Sustain.
5S is a foundation to establishing proper standards within an organization. 5S also empowers the employees to take ownership in their processes and resources. 5S is not limited to materials or tools. This can help drive process improvement as well. 5S originated in Japan from the Toyota Production System, which aimed to reduce waste and inefficiencies in lean manufacturing. The idea of having the right tool and only the right tool to do the job as best possible, helps drive how organizations have adjusted in the 20th century and beyond.
Solving the “Real” Problems with Better Questions
Looking at how your organization handles inventory and the next time you’re facing a problem, take a step back and ask yourself what the real problem is? Try to go one layer deeper. Is there a problem with how the inventory is being managed? Is it a problem with how the employees are executing on adding or pulling the inventory from your warehouse? Do you have an idea of what is at everyone’s workstations and if there’s stockpiles you’re unaware of? Asking more direct questions that can help get to the root cause of a problem helps identify where the fix needs to start.
Three driving questions to start 5S:
● What are the minimum tools needed to do my job?
● What’s the minimum amount of materials or inventory needed to keep me doing my job
without lost time?
● If my inventory warehouse or my workstation were reduced by half, would I still have the
necessary space to store my materials or execute my job?
Executing Across Your Organization
Going the extra step to having every area, every level of employee, and every system use 5S to
try and find the inefficiencies or waste in their areas or processes can help drive the
organizational change leadership is looking for. Empowering employees to own what they do,
how they work, and the space they work in can bring the best out of them and the business.
Challenge yourself and your colleagues over the next quarter to tackle their work area using 5S
and see if they found any waste. The results may surprise you.
About the Author
Laine Harrett is an Instrumentation Program Engineer at GE Aerospace, with more than a decade of experience leading critical projects and programs across IT, finance, product development, and OEM engine manufacturing. As a project management professional with deep experience in industrial environments, he brings a resilient, results-driven approach to implementing, sustaining, and continuously improving effective 5S programs in manufacturing.
Industry Spotlight
Tier 1 MRO is an industrial automation solutions provider helping businesses improve material storage, inventory management, and operational efficiency. Our solutions include vertical lift modules (VLMs), automated storage and retrieval systems, robotics, inventory management, system integration, installation support, training, and ongoing technical service.
We work alongside our customers to understand their operations and develop scalable automation solutions that improve space utilization, productivity, inventory accuracy, and workflow.
“Our focus is on helping customers find the right automation solution for their operation. Whether that involves automated storage, robotics, system integration, or a combination of technologies, we want to provide solutions that create lasting value and grow with their business.”
— Mike Sheff, CEO, Tier 1 MRO
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