Order and Cleanliness
4. Introduction to the 5S Methodology
4.1. “More productivity = Better workplace”
4.1.1. Who are the 5S for?
For any type of organisation, whether industrial or service, that wishes to start out on the path of continuous improvement. The 5S are universal and may be applied in all types of enterprises and organisations, in workshops as well as offices, even in those workplaces that are apparently sufficiently well ordered and clean.
INEFFICIENCY CAN ALWAYS BE AVOIDED, REDUCING DISPLACEMENTS AND ELIMINATING THE WASTING OF TIME AND SPACE.
4.1.2. What is their goal?
To improve and maintain the conditions of organisation, order and cleanliness in the workplace. This is not merely a matter of aesthetics. The aim is to improve work and safety conditions, the social climate, staff motivation and efficiency and, as a result, the QUALITY, PRODUCTIVITY AND COMPETITIVENESS OF THE ORGANISATION.
4.1.3. What are the 5S?
The operations of Organisation, Order and Cleanliness were developed by Japanese companies under the name of 5S. They have been applied in several countries with notable success. The 5S are the initials of five Japanese words that name each one of the five phases that make up the methodology:
• SEIRI: Sorting or Organising
This consists in identifying and separating necessary materials from those that are unnecessary and getting rid of the latter.
• SEITON: Setting in Order
This consists in establishing the way in which necessary materials should be located and labelled so that they can be easily and rapidly found, used and replaced.
• SEISO: Shining or Cleanliness
This consists in identifying and eliminating sources of dirt, ensuring that all means are always in perfect conditions for their use.
• SEIKETSU: Standardizing or Visual Control
This consists in easily distinguishing a normal situation from one that is abnormal, via simple standards that are visible to one and all.
• SHITSUKE: Sustaining Discipline
This consists in working at all times in accordance with the established standards. The first three phases, SORTING, SETTING IN ORDER and SHINING are operational.
The fourth phase, STANDARDIZING, helps maintain the status achieved in the three previous phases via the standardization of practices.
The fifth and last phase, SUSTAINING DISCIPLINE, enables these practices to be maintained and continuously improved in daily work.
The FIVE PHASES make up an integrated whole and are addressed successively, one after the other.
