The 5s Process

Written by Steve Stephenson

The 5S Process is a way of improving productivity, quality, safety and employee job satisfaction by going through five steps that result in getting a workplace cleaned up and organized.

The five steps of the 5S process are:

Sort – identify items that are needed, sometimes needed and never needed. Those that are never needed should be disposed of. Those that are needed should be stored in close-by, convenient locations. Those items in the middle group, items that are only sometimes needed, should be stored away from the immediate work area.

Set In Order – in this step in the process take the items that are needed to get the job done and create a nearby storage location. But this should be more than just a place to store equipment, tools, supplies and materials. Storage locations should facilitate returning items to their proper storage location. For examples items and storage locations should be color coded so they can easily be matched.

An important part of this step in the 5S process is to get everything marked and labeled. Labels are used to identify items, their owners and their storage locations. Color coding is an important part of the labeling system, as colors quickly communicate needed information. Labeling includes floor marking. For example, large mobile equipment should have storage locations marked off on the floor.

DuraLabel is the brand to turn to for your 5S Process marking and labeling needs. Because DuraLabel supplies are Tough Tested, DuraLabel is the only supplier that provides a five year warranty of the labels you make. With DuraLabel you get quality in the equipment, the supplies and the service that is not matched by any other label printer supplier. Call 1-8880326-9244 today for more information about DuraLabel printers. Ask for a free set of sample labels.

Shine –with everything put in it's place, the next step in the 5S Process is to get things cleaned up. Machines, floors, walls, racks – everything should be cleaned to remove dirt, debris, oil and grease. Cleanliness not also makes it easier to keep things organized, and makes for a more pleasant workplace, one of the major benefits is that it makes it easier to spot problems. For example, a minor oil leak on a clean machine become immediately obvious. This way maintenance issues can be addressed early, before they become big problems.

Standardize –A key component of the 5S process is standardization. It is much easier, and the 5S Process is much more likely to be successful, if standards are established and followed. That way everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing. Standards and procedures should be posted so all employees can read and know them. 5S process tasks should be assigned, so there is no doubt about who needs to do what.

Sustain –Once the 5S process is "complete" there ids one final step. That is to sustain the process. Regular audits should be conducted to ensure the 5S process is still being fully implemented. Teams, crews and departments should audit themselves on a frequent basis, and post the results of the audit. In addition. Audits should by conducted by people outside of the team, crew or department to provide a fresh view and evaluation.

The 5S Process is a powerful tool that can be used to improve business operations. It works just as well in an office setting as it does in a factory. The concepts of the 5S Process are simple – clean up and get organize – but the results are significant.