Mr. Hiroyuki Hirano, international consultant called the “5S’s” the Japanese “S” words
Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke). The English translation for these words are Organisation, orderliness, cleanliness, standardised cleanup and discipline.
1. Seiri (organisation)
Organisation means clearly distinguishing between
•What is required and to be kept
•What is not required and to be discarded
Sort out items and discard the unnecessary
5 questions about Seiri:
1.Do you find items scattered in your workplace.
2.Are there boxes, papers and other items left in a disorganised manner.
3.Are there equipments and tools placed on the floor.
4.Are all items sorted out and placed in designated spots.
5.Are tools and stationery properly sorted and stored.
Orderliness means organising the way required things are kept so that anyone can find and use them easily. Arrange a place for everything. Everything in its place.
2. Seiton (orderliness)
5 questions about Seiton :
1.Are passage ways & storage places clearly indicated.
2.Are commonly used tools & stationery separated from those seldom used.
3.Are containers & boxes stacked up properly.
4.Are fire extinguishers & hydrants readily accessible.
5.Are there grooves, cracks or bumps on the floor which hinder work or safety.
3. Seisoh (cleanliness)
Clean your workplace thoroughly.
•Cleanliness is closely related to the ability to turn out quality products.
•Cleanliness means sweeping floors and keeping things in order.
•Cleanliness also entails saving labour by finding ways to prevent dirt, dust and debris from piling up in the workshop.
•Cleanliness should be integrated into daily maintenance tasks to combine cleaning check points with maintenance check points.
5 questions about Siesoh:
1. Are the floor surfaces dirty.
2. Are machines and equipment dirty.
3. Are wires and pipes dirty or stained.
4. Are machine nozzles dirty by lubricants and inks.
5. Are shades, light bulbs & light reflectors dirty.
4. Seiketsu (standardization)
Standardized cleanup means that organization, orderliness, & cleanliness are being maintained.
Maintain a standard.
Standardized cleanup differs from the first 3S.
5. Shitsuke (discipline)
•Discipline means always following specified (& standardised) procedures.
•Train people to be disciplined
•Discipline refers to social and safety conventions, such as friendly greetings among coworkers and wearing work uniforms, name tags and helmets.
•All of these contribute to safety, a clean work environment, and a positive work attitude.
•The first four S’s can be implemented thoroughly without difficulty if the workplace is maintained. Such a workplace is likely to enjoy high productivity and high quality.
•Discipline is a pivotal factor of the production system as a whole
The first three pillars can be thought of as activities whereas standardisation is a state or condition at certain point of time.