What is 5s all about: Tips and Tricks

Our 5s blog series is coming to a close. With our final posting, we are going to leave you with some tips and tricks on how to maintain all your hard 5s work. Use this tips around the office or wherever you are using 5s in your life.

Make sure to keep an eye out for different types of waste. Look for items that might be considered a reject or a defect. If you are keeping these items around because you think you might fix it, just eliminate it. It will help with your sustaining process in the long run. Keep an eye on your inventory. Ordering inventory when it isn’t necessary is a waste of time and money. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it. 5s-ing should be saving you money and if you ordering things you already have and aren’t using it up quick enough, than you are wasting what you could be pocketing. Also, find a way to track your inventory so that you know when you are getting low. That way, you only order what you need.

Waste doesn’t just mean items; waste is also using unnecessary employee time or them abusing company time. Make sure employees always have something to do. Make a schedule and check lists for each department. That way, if there is down time, they have something to do. Waste is also unnecessary motions that can be eliminated by reevaluating your processes. Try to find ways to cut production times that won’t affect the quality of your product. Pay attention to the steps employees are taking to finish a product and try to find a better way to save time, energy, and money. Also, keep an eye out for wasted human talent. You might just have some employees that aren’t trained, focused or challenged. Employees need to be evaluated as well.

Remember, the process of 5s should be making things easier at work. It’s a long and continuous process, but if done right, it helps you, your employees, and your company in many ways.

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