The Importance of Weekly 5S Workplace Organisation
The TXM Practical 5S is the perfect system for your weekly housekeeping routines
We know that 5S Workplace Organisation is one of the fundamental Lean principles; a foundation stone for the Toyota Production System and the many others that follow along similar lines. We know how much hard work it takes to get that initial “sort” and “set in order” started; how hard it is to get the “shine” in place. But that only takes short term effort. The long-term sustaining is where the hard work is, and this is where the weekly housekeeping auditing come into its own.
Why Is It Hard to Sustain Good 5S Workplace Organisation Over a Long Period of Time?
Because it is against our basic human nature to do a little of a task regularly when we would prefer to do a big task irregularly. Good habits like exercise, eating healthily and saving money and sticking to a budget all take time to establish a routine where it’s the little tasks we do each day and across the week that make it really stick; that creates the new habit that becomes part of your lifestyle.
5S Workplace Organisation in Manufacturing
Housekeeping in a manufacturing environment is no different. We want to establish a routine where we do a little each day and review our progress weekly.
- OUR everyday housekeeping is to make sure our workstations look like the agreed 5S standards your teams have developed.
- OUR weekly check is the visual 5S audit, where we check that each of the 5S standards is begin maintained.
By undertaking these daily and weekly checks it is easier to see if something is going astray or an area between workstations hasn’t been given clear ownership. It means that our hard work of sorting and setting in order is maintain and we only must correct a week’s worth of mess.
The other benefit of auditing weekly s that is it an easier task and over time these audits can be conducted byte the cell leaders with their leading hands, then by the leading hands with an operator or two who shines at this housekeeping stuff. Eventually each team member can take part, providing a level of ownership of the area and it’s housekeeping that will certainly help to make it stick.
So, What Do You Need to Do?
- Check the 5S standards for daily checking is in place.
- Check the weekly audits are begin conducted.
- Check any actions arising from these audits are begin addresses.
- Facilitate a training plan and schedule to make sure everyone in the team conducts a weekly 5S audit on a regular basis.
