THE OVERVIEW - Explaining 5S
The term 5S is often used in companies, ranging from manufacturing to sales to other related organisations. 5S is a philosophy and a way of organizing and managing the workspace and work-flow with the intent to improve efficiency by eliminating waste, improving flow and reducing process unevenness.
A cornerstone of 5S is that untidy, cluttered work areas are not productive. Advocates of 5S believe the benefits of this methodology come from deciding what should be kept, where it should be kept, and how it should be stored.
THE 5 "PILLARS" OF HOUSEKEEPING
- Seiri (Sort)
- Seiton (Set)
- Seiso (Shine)
- Seiketsu (Standardisation)
- Shitsuke (Sustain)
BRIGHTSTEEL SERVICE CENTER’S YESTER YEARS
Brightsteel Service Center (BSSC) has always taken pride in maintaining cleanliness and safe operations in its daily tasks, in line with its productivity improvement plans. For more than 10 years, the practice of 5S Housekeeping has been carried out. What’s unorthodox is that no formal training on 5S has been conducted, yet somehow being practiced. The constant efforts taken to sustain a clean and safe environment proved to be a bumpy road, due to the absence of training. So it was time to KICK IT UP A NOTCH and let the saga unfold.
THE TOOLS & KNOWLEDGE IMPARTED
Especially over the last year, BSSC has been focusing on implementing and improving 5S Housekeeping to a higher level. The first step taken was to send all employees for a formal 5S Housekeeping training session. Hence, we (CEDR Corporate Consulting) were roped in to assist in conducting a few training sessions to impart to all levels of employees, the tools and knowledge in implementing 5S Housekeeping within their sections and throughout the company.
The methodology and approach we used to assist BSSC in becoming a more "5S" competent company was by introducing the following measures:
- Discussion on customizing 5S Housekeeping training
- Setting duration and timeline for implementation
- Conducting audit on areas identified
- Training all staff in 5S Housekeeping
- Mock audit session
Equipped with this new knowledge, BSSC employees have undertaken responsibilities to carry out their roles in implementing the 5S culture company-wide, to visualize productivity improvement and put it to practice. | THE PRESENT DAY
The improvement and implementation were carried out as soon as the training was over. Here are some of the 5S housekeeping areas and work that have been completed:
- Painting of work areas (Finished Goods/Raw Material)
- Disposing of unwanted material
- Clearing all spider webs
- Upgraded 5S corner
- Formed Steering Committee
The good practice of 5S has led to its goal of productivity improvement. Fewer mistakes are being made, lower downtime is seen and safety in the plant has soared higher than before. These are only some of the improvements seen thus far. Who knows what greater productivity improvements will be seen in the near future? We are proud to say that Brightsteel Service Center has embarked on its first stages of implementing and practicing a solid 5S system. Carrying out and sustaining this project is top priority to lead BSSC to greater heights in terms of maintaining quality at its best. |