Introducing ‘5S’

What does 5S mean to you?

In world class manufacturing, ‘5S’ is an abbreviation for five words that begin with the letter ‘S’.

It represents a method of workplace organisation that originated in Japan. It helps to create and maintain an organised, clean, safe and high-performance workplace.

Here’s the five S’s (seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke, translated into English):

• Sort—clearly identify items needed and eliminate the rest.

• Straighten—keep needed items in the correct place to allow for easy and immediate retrieval.

• Shine—keep the area swept and clean.

• Standardisation—create rules to sustain the first 3 S’s

• Sustain (aka self-discipline)—make a habit of maintaining established procedures.

5S can be used whenever a workplace is messy, unorganised. (Think Marie Kondo in factories and offices). It can be used when people have to spend time tracking down tools, information to complete a task.

At Twelve Scholars, we use EGSP with 5S to set standards and create a culture committed to Excellence.