5S in Practice - An Introduction
6S (Safety + 5S) is a very simple lean tool that, when implemented well, directly impacts productivity. It therefore forms the foundation of my Lean house for the Shopfloor, and part of the first level of lean matirity (Panneman, 2017).
6S improves productivity by reducing Muda (for instance products waiting to be worked on) Mura (for instance variance in cycle times because employees have to search for tools) and Muri (people getting stressed because of they can’t find the right tools in time to keep takt). 6S helps to keep only the necessary items at every workstation (sort), it prevents having people search for items (Straighten), helps people discover problems in an early stage (Sweep) and visualizes the agreements at every workplace (Standardize). Finally these tools need to be used and improved continuously (Sustain). In theory this sounds easy, but what about putting 6S to practice?