The 5S, Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke, concepts of Japanese origin that are an integral part of continuous improvement processes
The 5S concept shouldn't be anything new to any company, but unfortunately it is. The 5S movement is a conception linked to the orientation towards total quality that originated in Japan under the guidance of WE Deming over forty years ago and which is included within what is known as continuous improvement or gemba kaizen. This concept refers to the creation and maintenance of cleaner, more organized and safer work areas, that is, it is about giving a higher "quality of life" to work. The 5S come from Japanese terms that we apply daily in our daily lives and are not an exclusive part of a «Japanese culture» alien to us, indeed, all human beings, or almost all of us, have a tendency to practice or have practiced 5S,even if we don't realize it.
The 5s
- Seiri: classify, organize, arrange properly Seiton: order Seiso: cleaning Seiketsu: standardized cleaning Shitsuke: discipline
The little application of these concepts, mainly in manufacturing and production companies in general, in which the final customer is rarely (rather never) received at their facilities, is widespread, which is still worrying, not only in terms of business performance but human, since it is degrading, for any worker, to perform their work under insane conditions. This fact suggests that under these environments it will be difficult to achieve high levels of productivity and efficiency, which highlights the need to consistently apply 5S in our daily routine, whether as workers or as students, it will always be better to carry out our activities in safe and motivating environments.
5S Objective: The central objective of the 5S is to achieve the most efficient and uniform operation of people in the workplace.
Meaning of the 5S
Seiri - discard what is not needed
Seiri or classifying consists of removing from the area or work station all those elements that are not necessary to carry out the work, either in production areas or in administrative areas. Within this organization, the rooms of San Alejo should be changed for archives or warehouses that only store items in a classified manner and obsolescence should be eliminated. There is no need to think that this or that element could be useful in other work or if a very special situation arises, experts recommend that when faced with these doubts, these elements should be discarded.
Seiton - a place for everything and everything in its place
Seiton or order means more than appearance. The business order within the 5S concept could be defined as: the organization of the necessary elements so that they are easy to use and access, which must each be labeled so that they are found, removed and returned to their position, easily by employees. The order is applied after the classification and organization, if it is classified and not ordered, it will be difficult to see results. Simple rules should be used such as: what is most used should be closer, heavier below, light above, etc.
Seiso - clean the job site and equipment and prevent dirt and clutter
Seiso or cleaning includes, in addition to the activity of cleaning work areas and equipment, the design of applications that allow avoiding or at least reducing dirt and making work environments safer. Only through cleaning can some faults be identified, for example, if everything is clean and free of strange odors, it is more likely that a fire start will be detected early due to the smell of smoke or a malfunction of an equipment due to a fluid leak., etc. Likewise, the demarcation of restricted, danger, evacuation and access areas generates greater security and a sense of security among employees.
Seiketsu - preserve high levels of organization, order and cleanliness
Seiketsu or standardized cleaning aims to maintain the state of cleanliness and organization achieved with the application of the first three S, seiketsu is only obtained when the three previous principles are continuously worked on. At this stage or phase of application (which must be permanent), it is the workers who carry out programs and design mechanisms that allow them to benefit themselves. Different tools can be used to generate this culture, one of them is the location of photographs of the workplace in optimal conditions so that it can be seen by all employees and thus remind them that this is the state in which it should remain, another is the development of standards that specify what each employee must do with respect to their area of work.
Shitsuke - create habits based on the previous 4's
Shitsuke or discipline means preventing the established procedures from being broken. Only if discipline is implemented and compliance with the rules and procedures already adopted can you enjoy the benefits they provide. Shitsuke is the channel between 5S and continuous improvement. Shitsuke implies regular control, surprise visits, self-control of employees, respect for oneself and for others, and a better quality of work life.
A disorganized and dirty work area generates efficiency losses and decreases motivation
Why don't 5S apply?
There are a series of precepts that accompany the non-application of 5S in companies, among them are:
- Machinery cannot stop. The pressure to comply with schedules and delivery times means that the necessary precautions are not taken in the maintenance of the machinery. Cleaning is a waste of time and resources. Some employers believe that the fact that the employees themselves keep their work area neat and safe represents a waste of time and therefore of resources "I pay them to work, not to clean" or on behalf of the employees "I hired to work not to clean »The custom. When people and the company get used to carrying out their tasks in environments that are not only dirty and messy but also insecure, they believe that there is no need to apply the 5S «why should we have been working like this for more than five years and just look at nothing happened? »
What benefits does the application of 5S generate?
The implementation of a 5S strategy is important in different areas, for example, it makes it possible to eliminate waste and, on the other hand, it improves industrial safety conditions, thus benefiting the company and its employees. Some of the benefits generated by the 5S strategies are:
- Higher levels of safety that result in greater employee motivation Reduction in losses and losses due to defective productions Higher quality Shorter response times Increases the useful life of the teams Generates organizational culture Approaches the company to the implementation of total quality models and assurance of quality
A company that applies 5S: * Produces with fewer defects, * Better meets deadlines, * It is safer, * It is more productive, * It performs maintenance tasks better, * It is more motivating for the worker, * It increases its levels of growth, * Take the first step towards total quality….
Through the following video-seminar (2 hours, 15 minutes), taught by the expert Edson Aliaga, you will be able to learn more about this basic concept of continuous improvement processes. The first half is devoted to introducing the principles and tools of the 5S methodology, the second half to how 5S is implemented in a step-by-step organization.
