What is 5S?

5S Housekeeping - to organize the workplace

The 5S workplace organization process usually starts out by sorting the
Sort
useful from the unnecessary. The only things that should remain in a work
(Seiri)
area are the parts, tools, & instructions needed to do the job.
Everything has a place; everything is in its place.
Straighten
or Set in Order This is also a good time for your team to create a Visual Scoreboard, Jidoka
(Seiton) lights, floor paint, kanbans, and other visual controls described in our our
free Lean & Kaizen PowerPoint presentation.
Do an initial spring cleaning.
Sweep & Shine
Maybe painting, scouring, sweeping, washing, rinsing, scrubbing, and
(Seiso)
whatever else is needed to make your work place shine.
In the Standardize phase of Lean 5 S, routine cleaning becomes a way of
life. Preventative maintenance is routinely performed, perhaps with
planning and scheduling and some responsibilities done by your central
Standardize(Seiketsu)
maintenance department, and as much routine maintenance as possible
performed by the people that know that work center better than anyone
else.
Shitsuke is when five S becomes a routine way of life. Root causes are
routinely identified and dealt with. The Systems2win 5 S forms and the
Sustain
Standard Work Audit are very familiar to everyone - both supervisors and
(Shitsuke)
the workers that have come to appreciate the benefits of Five S and Lean
methods.
Some companies name their program 6S - to emphasize safety - but the
truth is that safety is inseparably intertwined with every one of the
Safety traditional 5 categories. An uncluttered workplace is a safer workplace. A
(the 6th S) well maintained piece of equipment is a safer piece of equipment. A clean
workplace is a safer workplace. The Deep Horizon oil spill would not have
happened if the workers had followed their Standardized Work.

Benefits of Lean 5S
One important purpose and benefit of  5 or 6S is to make your work area clean and in order to
unhide potential problems. In an unclean workplace, it is hard to even notice things like "When
did that machine start making that noise?" or "When did that start leaking oil?"

Another purpose and benefit is to reduce the amount of time wasted looking for misplaced tools,
and materials, and supplies.

Most Lean initiatives start out with 5S training as one of the earliest initiatives, and there is a
flurry of enthusiastic cleaning and organizing. The real test, however, is how well the new ways
"stick" over time. The success of your 5s program is often an excellent predictor of the probable
success of your greater lean manufacturing initiative.