A key feature in lean manufacturing is its simplicity. Simple techniques are used to get to the ultimate goal of lean manufacturing, very effectively and efficiently. One major aspects of lean manufacturing is small continuous improvement which is greatly helped with this concept.

One such simple and powerful tool used in lean manufacturing is 5S. This technique is described as the starting point of the lean manufacturing implementation in many organizations. Significant savings on time, space and reduced defects, reduces accidents and pleasant working environment are direct results of 5S.

5S can be simply explained as follows. 5S simply identifies the necessary things and unnecessary things from your work environment, then it sorts them and discards the unnecessary. Then the things which are required are kept in order so that using them will be easy. In the third step all the areas will be cleaned. When these are in process for sometime, it is the time to standardize the process and the above practices. Good practices in the first three steps will be implemented organization wide so that everyone will operate in the same way. This is the standardization phase of the implementation. When this is done you will need to adhere to this 5S culture. 5S way of life will become standard and everyone will now not feel they have implemented something called 5S, but they will work accordingly.

I am Aza, a process engineer, consultant and the author of the e-book