Executing the 5 S Model

5s Standards

Companies exist in a globally competitive market and find a competitive advantage in operational efficiency and innovation to grow their market share. The implementation of the 5s system, sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain, in companies aims to reveal and eradicate areas of waste to optimize efficiency (Manufacturing Extension Partnership). Further, the implementation of this system supplements leans manufacturing and consistent improvement. Typically, the 5s system is implemented simultaneously in different teams in the company working together to accomplish a common goal. The 5s system benefits companies since it optimizes organization, efficiency, and safety, increases workplace morale, and results in a bigger storage density.

The 5s is the foundation of successful implementation of lean implementation. It makes it possible to employ other lean tools and techniques, such as just in time, to establish a lean culture. The five pillars of workplace organization involve the extent, decreasing time wasted, and determining the materials that need to be used and reused. After diagnosing the manner, space is utilized. The necessary quantities at any given time lower the number of materials held in inventory and establish a mechanism to sort through red-tagging (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) continually. This approach the wastage though spending of cash on materials that are not needed urgently and fosters agility in the company in the market.

Holistic implementation of the 5s system fosters efficiency in company operations. As established, the objective of implementing a lean way of thinking is making waste areas into seven common areas: wastage, overproduction, inventory, motion, defects, overprocessing, transport, and waiting (Klein et al. 125). The third process of the 5s system is the shine that ensures that the company ensures everything is in the right place and in case anything needs replacing. This measure eliminates wastage in motion, waiting, and inventory. Further, at this implementation stage, the management system determines the objectives and the assignments that must be accomplished for their realization. Examining the company equipment and systems to ensure they are not limiting factors to the accomplishment of objectives also facilitates the realization of the company targets.

The optimization by scanning the working environment for areas of risk to safety lowers the costs accrued to incidents of injury. For example, optimizing safety in the work environment lowers the insurance premiums since the risk assessment proves a lower likelihood of accidents (Filip and Marascu-Klein 3). Eliminating the costs accrued to high risk in the business environment affords the company more liquidity and options in management. Further, these measures ensure there is no time wastage due to absentia of work or straining some employees due to injury of colleagues.