Using 5S In Tough Times
It can feel like you are getting squeezed from the top and the bottom. Your suppliers what to charge you more and your customers are telling you to cut your prices or they'll find another supplier. And sales are way down because your traditional customers are putting off their purchases, so cash flow is tight. What can you do?
One thought is to consider that this may be a good time to implement a lean manufacturing technique such as 5S. 5S is one of the foundational principles of lean manufacturing. It can be implemented with a minimum of cost and the benefits can be significant.
What is 5S? It is an approach to cleaning up and getting organized that helps eliminate waste, improve productivity, reduce maintenance and improve safety. How does it do this?
Cleaning up and getting organized sounds easy... almost as though it is so simple that there can't really be any benefits. After all, everyone puts their tools away and sweeps up at the end of the day. 5S is actually a simple, common sense idea, but it involves a little more than just putting tools away and sweeping the floor, and that's were the benefits come from.
For example, when a machine is keep clean, and cleaned up every day, it becomes easy to spot maintenance problems such as oil leaks as soon as they develop. That way small problems can be caught early and fixed while they are small and easy to fix.
5S also provides methods for identifying waste and unused tools. It provides a systematic approach to getting organized. And it implements procedures and practices that maintain the benefits that are achieved.
If you'd like to find out more about 5S I recommend an Introductory Guide to 5S that is available free. It provides an overview of 5S and the benefits of 5S, allowing you to determine whether 5S will be of value in your company, facility or organization.
One thought is to consider that this may be a good time to implement a lean manufacturing technique such as 5S. 5S is one of the foundational principles of lean manufacturing. It can be implemented with a minimum of cost and the benefits can be significant.
What is 5S? It is an approach to cleaning up and getting organized that helps eliminate waste, improve productivity, reduce maintenance and improve safety. How does it do this?
Cleaning up and getting organized sounds easy... almost as though it is so simple that there can't really be any benefits. After all, everyone puts their tools away and sweeps up at the end of the day. 5S is actually a simple, common sense idea, but it involves a little more than just putting tools away and sweeping the floor, and that's were the benefits come from.
For example, when a machine is keep clean, and cleaned up every day, it becomes easy to spot maintenance problems such as oil leaks as soon as they develop. That way small problems can be caught early and fixed while they are small and easy to fix.
5S also provides methods for identifying waste and unused tools. It provides a systematic approach to getting organized. And it implements procedures and practices that maintain the benefits that are achieved.
If you'd like to find out more about 5S I recommend an Introductory Guide to 5S that is available free. It provides an overview of 5S and the benefits of 5S, allowing you to determine whether 5S will be of value in your company, facility or organization.
Labels: 5S, lean manufacturing
posted by Steve Hudgik at
7:56 AM
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