5S Sustainment: How to Maintain Long Term 5S

I am sure everyone in a production setting has been exposed to a 5S Process, and each plant has their own methodologies for sustainment and implementation.

Today, we’re going to provide recommendations and best practices for maintaining 5S in your workspace LONG-TERM!

Okay, picture this: you’ve spent 2 months implementing 5S in an area. Now, imagine after an additional 6 months, there is no evidence of this 5S Project anymore. Discouraging, right?

How do we maintain 5S Long Term?

We MUST implement an AUDIT SYSTEM. This is crucial for driving the long-term sustainment of a 5S initiative.

Establish Recurring Audit System

The most important step for 5S Auditing. Establishing a weekly cadence for 5S Audits is crucial for driving long-term sustainment. Involving management and directors into the process also benefits long term 5S sustainment.

Visual Management Components

Create a template to track all the 5S Audit Scores for each workspace. Post this in a visual format for your production site, whether on TVs, weekly email distribution, or SQDCM Boards. This is crucial for everyone to be on the same page.

Create Action Trackers

Use an Action Item Tracker or Item Register to manage subset 5S tasks during Implementation. This can also be used for corrective actions associated with 5S Sustainment.

Create a 5S Visual Map

A 5S Visual Map is a used to demarcate the sub-sections of a cell. It is a quick visual to show at which phase of the 5S process, the area is currently in.

Standardized Color Markings

Standardizing our color markings helps us easily identify and designate production areas. This is essential for long-term sustainment of 5S, as everything needs to be Set in Order.

Conclusion:
Utilizing these techniques and systems we can empower teams to implement and sustain the 5S process effectively. It is crucial to establish a recurring Audit Frequency, as well as manage Action Item Trackers to drive 5S Forward.

AUTHOR

Marcus Rosati

B.S. Industrial Engineering – Purdue University
B.S. Industrial Management – Purdue University

Lead Industrial Engineer for Process Improvement Projects

May 30, 2024

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING