5S: A Practical Guide to Visualizing and Organizing Workplaces to Improve Productivity
About this ebook
The word "5S" stands for five related concepts with a S sound that describe workplace procedures that promote visual control and lean manufacturing. These are the five words in Japanese:
Seiri: Sort tools, components, and documents into needed and unnecessary categories, then throw away the unnecessary.
Seiton: Organize what is left in a tidy manner, making sure that everything has a home.
Seiso: Wash and clean.
Seiketsu: Regular use of the first three Ss results in cleanliness.
Shitsuke: Practice the first four Ss with discipline.
The English translation of the Five Ss is frequently Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. A sixth S is sometimes added by lean practitioners. Establish and follow safety protocols in the office and workplace. However, Toyota has only ever used the Four Ss:
Shitsuke (sustain), the final S, is eliminated since Toyota's system of daily, weekly, and monthly audits to verify standardised work renders it unnecessary. The important thing to keep in mind is that the effort is methodical and organic to lean manufacturing, not a "bolt-on" stand-alone programme, whether four, five, or six Ss are used, the most important thing to keep in mind is that this effort is not a "bolt-on" stand-alone programme, but rather is methodical and organic to lean production.
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About the author
Mohammed Hamed Ahmed Soliman is an industrial engineer, consultant, university lecturer, operational excellence leader, and author. He works as a lecturer at the American University in Cairo and as a consultant for several international industrial organizations.
Soliman earned a bachelor of science in Engineering and a master’s degree in Quality Management. He earned post-graduate degrees in Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. He holds numerous certificates in management, industry, quality, and cost engineering.
For most of his career, Soliman worked as a regular employee for various industrial sectors. This included crystal-glass making, fertilizers, and chemicals. He did this while educating people about the culture of continuous improvement.
Soliman has lectured at Princess Noura University and trained the maintenance team in Vale Oman Pelletizing Company. He has been lecturing at The American University in Cairo for 6 year and has designed and delivered 40 leadership and technical skills enhancement training modules.
Soliman is a member at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and a member with the Society for Engineering and Management Systems. He has published several articles in peer reviewed academic journals and magazines. His writings on lean manufacturing, leadership, productivity, and business appear in Industrial Engineers, Lean Thinking, and Industrial Management. Soliman’s blog is www.personal-lean.org.
