TIPS FOR 5S ON THE SHOP FLOOR
Sam Wagner, Director of Advanced Manufacturing Donnelly Custom Manufacturing Company

“Good factories develop beginning with the 5 S’s;
bad factories fall apart beginning with the 5 S’s.”
– Hirouki Hirano   

To support our customers, we’ve got to keep getting better at what we do.  The 5S objective of keeping things clean and organized on the shop floor is a necessary ingredient of staying efficient, and is a key element in taking our business to the next level of operational excellence.

At Donnelly, we started our lean journey in December, 2002 with Lean 101 training for all employees and conducted our first 5S improvement event in January, 2003.  We sorted, straightened, shined, standardized and sustained. Since the event, we’ve enjoyed steady improvement in housekeeping and overall cleanliness as well as improvement in changeover times from having the tools readily available for every setup.  Since this first event we’ve held several other 5S events to help keep it sustained and to take it to the next level.  Each time the benefits grow larger.  And we’ll be doing more 5S events in the future. 

For Dave Lamb, Director of Manufacturing, the initial appeal of 5S was to help get things cleaned up a bit, but he was really looking forward to the benefits of the week-long improvement events.  Having experienced 5S for three years, Dave has become a disciple and is convinced of its continuous improvement power.  Brad Andrist, Training and Continuous Improvement Coordinator, calls 5S the terra firma of lean, the foundation that sets you up to succeed in other aspects of your business, such as your quality system and minimizing scrap and rework.  

Some of the things we’ve learned are as follows:
SORT:Keep nearby only those things we use every day; things used weekly are kept further away

• Materials and equipment for the next job are staged as needed and should be put away when the job is complete
• Discard old labels so they aren’t accidentally used on next (wrong) job

STRAIGHTEN:A place for everything and everything in its place – no searching

• Arrange needed items so they are easy to use and label them so they are easy to find and put away.  Use the US Postal System as a guide – every piece of equipment is like a piece of mail with an address for delivery; every home has a house number as well as street address and zip code.
• Use tape (or paint if you’re really sure your layout won’t change) on the floor to mark designated areas for aisle ways, auxiliary equipment, WIP, even trash

SHINE:Clean machines work better; a clean floor and work area is safer

• Also includes saving labor by finding ways to prevent dirt, dust and debris from piling up
• Everything doesn’t have to shine at the end of your first 5S event.  A little cleaning every day and weekly cleaning get the job done and form good habits

STANDARDIZE:The method used to sustain the first three Ss – the condition that results from practicing the first three for some time

• Set color standards to be used throughout the plant
• Set clear expectations for cleanliness and orderliness

SUSTAIN:Make a habit of maintaining correct procedures – this is the most challenging “S”

• Set aside time for 5S.  Ten minutes at the end of the shift plus a half hour every week should be adequate.
• Daily 5S audits in each area by the lead people
• Management audits – the higher the management level, the better.  This is what lets people know that this is an important part of their jobs.
• 5S scoreboard:  allows you to take pride in keeping a clean work area

Some of the benefits are as follows:

• A clean shop is a safe shop – less tripping and slipping
• An organized shop saves time searching for things we need; also we’re less likely to make mistakes that could lead to quality issues
• Things out of place become obvious, so it’s easier to identify them and fix the situation
• Equipment leaks are easier to spot, report and repair
• Feels good – people like working in a clean, organized environment
• Sets expectations and gives feedback that they are being met
• Less frustration over searching for tools and supplies
• Helps us deliver good products on time
• Gives the right impression to customers and other visitors that we care about them and about what we do
• Helps create a culture of discipline – critical for execution excellence

The biggest benefit of all is the mindset and discipline 5S helps create.  This mindset helps in many ways.  For example, since our last 5S event that raised the bar, we’ve had the longest streak in the history of the company without an injury resulting in lost time.  The discipline to keep things organized, uncluttered, and clean provides improved results in teamwork, throughput, efficiency, utilization, quality and safety.  So if you hear “we don’t have time” for 5S, ask why we have time to get frustrated searching for things and time for days lost due to injuries but not time to prevent these things.  At Donnelly, we’ve found 5S is an ounce of prevention well worth taking.

Based in Alexandria, Minn., Donnelly’s 230 employees are dedicated to setting the standards in the custom injection-molding marketplace for “How Short Run Is Done.” The company’s focus is on providing its OEM customers with value added engineering, and highly customized manufacturing and customer support services.  A strong customer service orientation ensures outstanding customer satisfaction.