Article in English

This article is based on a Danish article – for some of our non-Danish customers!

Please read the Danish article here: 5S-audit in a more live and involving way/method >

Introduction til 5S

5S is a method for better well-being and less wasted time in the organization. At the same time, 5S benefits quality, flow and throughput times – and thus also customer service! The gains are often significant!

A brief introduction to 5S:

• The goal of 5S is to reduce search time, optimize quality and improve employee well-being
• The methods in 5S are based on the fact that everything – as a starting point – should have a fixed, standardized place. It is figuratively said that with 5S you “put rubber bands in things”. So when you have used a tool, the hole punch or a drawing, it “automatically” finds its way back to its right place.
• 5S is for EVERYONE – not just in production. 5S can be used for files and documents, Sharepoint, meetings, mailboxes, etc.
• 5S requires, not least, good discipline in the organization – and we must have everyone on the journey!
• Also remember that 5S is a continuous process. You can constantly develop and improve. Therefore, you should also have some kind of “5S improvement process”.
• Finally, 5S must be maintained – and this article is precisely about maintaining 5S (5S audit)

Read more – and watch video – about 5S (in Danish – sorry)

Read more about 5S/6S-system and order (Danish) >

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5S-audit

We have already written articles about 5S audit. And you can also download a 5S-audit scheme on our website (Danish) >

The problem with audits is often that…

• It is ofte carried out monthly – but 5S is a daily discipline
• Audits are carried out by “others” – not by the employees themselves
• Therefore, 5S often becomes a “others'” project – and not a way of working that I myself feel involved in

Can 5S audit (sustaining of 5S) become more vibrant?

Let’s start with the objectives of doing 5S audits:

• That we maintain the level
• That we find opportunities for improvement

Yes, a monthly audit can deliver that.

But there are definitely downsides to monthly audits.:

• I don’t feel ownership – but instead that “big brother” decides
• The improvements that exist are often many – and how do we structure them
• It is far too rare considering that 5S is a way of working – every day
• It often becomes more of a clean-up… Remember that we are doing an audit on Friday – make sure to clean up…

A proposal for a more vibrant 5S audit/retention – as inspiration!

At Flexkom we are a dealer of an OEE system that includes a “checklist function”.

I will use this as an example of how we can involve via some software – which is still used daily.

So you probably have a system – which is still active in production. Maybe it can do the same!

Therefore – see this article as inspiration!

The daily “check” of 5S

An OEE measurement system is typically located next to machines. Here, the OEE system screen is always on and visible.

Now imagine that a pop-up appears every now and then?

Where employees are given 1-3 short questions about “order and tidiness”?

Example of 5S pop-ups

Imagine you are standing at the machine:

1. Now a pop-up appears on the screen – see image 1
2. You click “start” – see image 2
3. You quickly answer the question – see image 3
4. You optionally add a picture and a comment – see image 3

Image 1 (sorry in Danish):

Image 2 (sorry in Danish):

Image 3 (sorry in Danish):

Advantages of this pop-up mindset

Advantages:

• People get involved – ownership
• More daily – more alive
• We can – in pop-up – show what we want – e.g. “what is clean” or “what is marked” etc.

Summary at daily production meeting

We can then – e.g. at daily meetings – collect the responses from the day or the entire week..

Example (in above image):

• 95 checks done on all machines this week – 33 are done – but with “not with max score”
• Let’s look at the comments and see pictures
• People can comment
• We agree on improvements

Bum – focus, involvement, improvements!

Read more about daily mangement meetings in the production (Danish) >

Another option for daily follow-up

Here is another example from a company.
They have a 5S bulletin board where employees mark “today’s level” daily.
They collect this and insert it into a monthly overview.
Not so vivid or alive. But still daily.

Read more about 5S

Go to the main page about 5S/6S system and order (articles and videoes) (Danish) >

Danish Lean Forum

By Mikkel Smith, Flexkom