Manufacturing, supply chain and maintenance management newsletter.

In this issue: 5S start: Seiri or Sort

Last week I told you that one of the quick wins a manager can achieve is by applying 5S, a Japanese methodology for creating a better working environment.

Today I will tell you about "Seiri" or "Sort", the first step.

Seiri is about identifying the necessary (what is really needed to do the job?) and the unnecessary things. The necessary ones must be put in order, while the unnecessary ones must be disposed immediately.

Examples of unnecessary things:

• excess tools
• unneeded equipment
• excess furniture
• excess shelves
• obsolete work in progress

These unnecessary items have as a result that

• operators are unable to find the item they need
• people fall over things
• it is hard for people to move around or to see each other and communicate
• nobody is proud to go to his workplace

So something has to be done.

I propose the following steps:

• make cross-functional teams
• take a critical look at each other's area
• review everything: tools, dies, work instructions, materials
• organize required items in a permanent place
• put seldom used items in an organized area away from the workplace
• when in doubt, put it in a quarantaine area: when it's not used within 30 days, remove it

Next week, I will talk more in detail about the second action: Seiton (arrange essential things in order for easy access)

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