| The 5-S philosophy is associated with lean thinking. | | | | is not important that every employee be busy in the |
| The objective of lean thinking is to provide a | | | | production of goods and services, especially during |
| business with long-term profitability by developing a | | | | slow times. Rather than overproduction, a better use |
| more effective workplace, which is accomplished by | | | | of employee time would be maintenance or |
| eliminating waste in the work environment. The result | | | | improvement activities. |
| is a safer workplace, improved product quality, and | | | | The Waste of Over Processing |
| lower costs for both the business and its customers. | | | | The waste of over processing is doing more than is |
| Lean thinking may result in a reduction in work force, | | | | required or desired by the customer. An example |
| but that is not its purpose. In fact, the application of | | | | might be the addition of a "just in case" quality |
| lean thinking for the purpose of reducing the work | | | | inspection at the end of a process when the data |
| force is not lean thinking at all. Since some companies | | | | indicates that it is not needed. The customer pays |
| have done this, lean thinking has been given a bad | | | | for that unneeded inspection step. Another example |
| reputation and has made waste reduction efforts | | | | is the need of multiple approval signatures for an |
| more difficult. | | | | activity when only one signature will do. This creates |
| The 5-S approach involves five activities in the | | | | time delays and increases cost. |
| workplace: scrapping, sorting, scrubbing, standardizing, | | | | The Waste of Waiting |
| and sustaining. Depending upon which book you read, | | | | The waste of waiting manifests itself in many ways. |
| there may be different names for each S, but the | | | | A bottleneck in a process causes the waste of idle |
| intent is the same. | | | | time in the next process step and back ups in the |
| Scrapping means to throw away unneeded material. | | | | previous process step. Long checkout times cause |
| A trashy work environment, in addition to being | | | | the waste of waiting for the customer. Labor cost, |
| unsafe, tends to create a casual attitude toward | | | | lost customers, and expediting are examples of |
| quality. There should be a strategy for knowing what | | | | increases in costs associated with waiting. |
| to keep and what to throw away. Take junk mail for | | | | The Waste of Correction |
| example. It should only be handled once. Look at it, | | | | The waste of correction is associated with not doing |
| decide to use it or throw it away, and then take the | | | | a job right the first time. In process mapping the |
| appropriate action. When junk mail is handled more | | | | phenomena of hidden factories are discovered. They |
| than once, it piles up on your desk making normal | | | | are the result of mistakes made in the process that |
| productive work more difficult. The same thing | | | | must be corrected. The customer winds up paying |
| happens in a shop with trash and old parts, and in a | | | | for the wasted materials and time. |
| store with boxes and packing material. | | | | The Waste of transportation |
| Sorting is the process of placing everything where it | | | | Transportation waste is centered on the physical |
| belongs. Imagine a toolbox where the drill bits are | | | | movement of goods and materials. Common causes |
| scattered throughout. If a bit is needed, it will take | | | | of transportation waste are partially full containers, |
| some time to find the bit. This adds time and cost to | | | | off-site warehousing, and multiple handling of material. |
| work. Now imagine a toolbox with the drill bits | | | | An example would be a coal-fired power plant that is |
| organized in a labeled drawer and separated logically | | | | built a long way from the nearest coal. They will |
| by size. The time necessary to find the needed bit | | | | always have a large fuel transportation cost. Another |
| and get the job done is shortened, and the cost of | | | | example would be an inefficient layout of process |
| the work is reduced. | | | | functions. Consider an assembly line where |
| Scrubbing the work environment involves cleaning the | | | | components must be moved from place to place for |
| work area. A clean work area is safer than a dirty | | | | assembly as opposed to an assembly line where a |
| one and is conducive to higher quality work. It is | | | | component is finished at the location where it is |
| related to discarding scrap but goes further by | | | | needed next. |
| including the cleaning up of what is left. Consider a | | | | The Waste of Motion |
| machine shop where cutting oil is left on the floor. | | | | This is the waste of the unnecessary movement of |
| This becomes a slipping hazard and indicates | | | | people around a process. Examples are walking |
| sloppiness. If you were inspecting machine shops to | | | | excessive distances, excessive repetitive actions, and |
| see which one to hire, what would you think about | | | | excessive spread of resources within a process. An |
| the shop with an oil mess on the floor? | | | | example might be having one fax machine in a |
| Another example of the importance of scrubbing is | | | | five-story building. |
| preventative maintenance. In a manufacturing facility, | | | | The Waste of Inventory |
| for example, the machining equipment can be painted | | | | This is similar to the waste of overproduction, but |
| white and wiped down each shift with white cloths. It | | | | specifically addresses inventory within the process. |
| becomes easy to see any unusual oil leaks or dirt. | | | | For example, process step A produces twice as |
| This allows the factory workers to diagnose machine | | | | many components as needed for process step B. |
| problems before breakdowns occur. The result is | | | | The excess must be moved or stored (waste of |
| reduced cost. | | | | transportation). What would be the impact on |
| Standardization is about making sure that important | | | | operating cost if the process were changed the next |
| elements of a process are performed consistently | | | | day, making the stored "in process" inventory |
| and in the safest and best possible way. Lack of | | | | obsolete? |
| consistency will cause a process to generate defects | | | | Another waste of inventory would be running out of |
| and compromise safety. The standardization of work | | | | a needed assembly component, thus shutting down a |
| practices increases predictability. Predictability, in turn, | | | | production line. Similar to this would be a store running |
| allows the process owners and operators to prevent | | | | out of an item that is selling well. In either case, |
| problems before they affect the customer. | | | | opportunity is lost. Lost income (sales) is also a form |
| Sustain means to maintain the gains. The 5-S | | | | of waste. |
| philosophy will only work if it is consistently applied | | | | The Waste of Resources |
| everywhere and all the time. By maintaining | | | | This is the wasteful deployment of resources. This |
| consistency, not only will gains be maintained, but | | | | could be human or material resources. An example |
| there will also be improvement throughout the | | | | would be using an untrained person to do a job, |
| organization as the 5-S philosophy permeates the | | | | which results in rework, which is a waste of both |
| work environment. Eventually the philosophy | | | | employees' time. Another would be the purchase of |
| becomes a part of the business' culture. | | | | raw materials in excess of demand, which must then |
| Finding and eliminating waste within a process or | | | | be stored. The business now has cash assets |
| business is about mutual respect and trust, | | | | (wasted) tied up in stored material that cannot be |
| empowerment and accountability. Without these, | | | | easily liquidated. |
| waste elimination is impossible. As the eight types of | | | | A process improvement project should focus on the |
| waste are covered below, consider how mutual | | | | elimination or minimization of all causes of waste. In |
| respect and trust, empowerment and accountability | | | | order to do this, process owners must be involved. |
| would be keys to success. | | | | These individuals are the most knowledgeable about |
| Elimination of Waste | | | | where waste occurs in a process. Every mind that |
| Waste is any action that does not add value to the | | | | becomes involved in this endeavor adds to probability |
| product or service in the eyes of the customer. This | | | | of success for the improvement team. More minds |
| is related to process mapping, where there are | | | | equal more ideas. In addition, the process owners will |
| value-added and non-value-added steps in a process. | | | | be changing their own process. Do not underestimate |
| Different organizations may have different categories | | | | the power of synergistic thinking. |
| of waste than those listed below. | | | | Lastly, waste reduction is a daily activity and not a |
| The Waste of Overproduction | | | | project activity. It should be built into the planned |
| The waste of overproduction is simply making more | | | | process changes proposed by the improvement |
| of a product or service than the customer demands. | | | | team so that gains in process performance are |
| Overproduced goods have to be stored and are | | | | maintained. A process improvement project affects |
| subject to obsolescence or spoilage. In the long run, | | | | the culture of an organization, and because waste |
| overproduction results in higher wastage and cost. It | | | | reduction is a cultural activity, they go hand in hand. |