The
Newsletter of Lean Manufacturing & Factory Science
27
March 2006
www.strategosinc.com
Does
5S Payoff On The Bottom-Line?
It
is hard to argue against cleanliness. But, is
there really a bottom-line payoff to 5S? The answer is
"Yes-- but, it
is difficult to quantify." The reasons for this un-gratifying answer
lie in the improvement mechanisms of 5S.
-
Visual
Control and 5S organize, streamline and
cleanup the workplace. But the direct savings are at a
micro-level--thousands of small, intermittent motion and time
reductions across many departments and activities.
-
Five-S
increases pride and morale. These are notoriously difficult to
measure. Yet, as every military person knows, very real and important.
-
Finally,
other concurrent changes in personnel, processes and procedures may mask
the effects of 5S. A recent search for documented
5S savings found nothing. Such articles may exist, but they are not
widely disseminated.
I
believe that 5S IS
valuable although it may not be the
first priority on a Lean journey. Lean
Implementation discusses priorities and how to plan an implementation
from fundamental factors rather than from cloning or a pre-determined
formula.
If
you decide that the time is right for 5S in your plant, we have a new
article on The Basics of
Five-S and Visual Control.
We can also provide training for managers
and workers. We also offer a 5S
Training Kits for your own program.
All
the best from the Strategos
team.
Quarterman
Lee
|
"The
Human Side of Lean Manufacturing" Video
The
Human Side of Lean Manufacturing
Workers
design and build their own workcell. It shows how the human and
technical elements of Lean Manufacturing interact. An ideal
introduction for the shop floor. $229.00 More
Info>> |
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©2004 Strategos, Inc.
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