5S Skills Training

The implementation and maintenance of 5S is not just in having 5S events, but in developing 5S skills that can be used on a daily basis.

Question:

How do we get everyone in the plant on board with 5S? Our 5S events become very difficult and no one really likes them.

My Response:

The beauty of 5S is the continuous improvement aspect which can be implemented as part of one’s daily routine. The application of 5S is not complicated, but each constituent part (sorting, sweeping, etc.) are individual skills which must be learned and practiced. The complication in 5S typically arises when it is only viewed as an ‘event’ in the eyes of your employees. It is best to get everyone in the plant involved in ongoing reviews, sorts, cleaning, etc. to ensure everyone understands. For instance, let all your employees be involved in the sorting and let the lean manufacturing experts approve or adjust their plans before they act.

If you are looking for some assistance in developing the 5S skills of your employees, we do have a new series of Skill Developing 5S SkillSet courses with associated 5S SkillSet Worksheets which are described here.

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