Lean and 5S
5S is the basic housekeeping discipline for Lean, quality and safety. It applies in office and on shop floor equally. Everyone has the experience of working better and feeling better in a tidy room. But it's also a mindset thing - changing attitudes from I work in a dirty factory to I work in a manufacturing laboratory.
The first step is to classify literally everything by frequency. A good idea is to do this with the team and to touch everything systematically. If used every day, is the quantity correct? If used weekly, can it be brought out weekly? If used monthly, should it rather be located in the store? If never, or in doubt, then red tag or throw out. A red tag is a label with the date on: if no-one accesses the item within a specified period, it should be thrown out.
A place for everything (using shadowboards, inventory footprints, tools and dies on trolleys or at the right height, and colour matching to link associated tools). And everything in its place (if not there and not in use, this indicates a problem). Personal toolboxes are discouraged because you want the correct tools for the job to be at the job site, in standardised locations for operator flexibility. The standard is the 'Dental Surgery' approach. Why? Because all can relate to that standard of excellence. 'One level' means trying to keep dies, tools, and parts at the same level as the workplace to minimise bending.
These first two steps need to be repeated periodically
This includes physical tidy up, on an ongoing basis, and visual sweeing where operators are always on the lookout for anything out of place, and try to correct it immediately. Some companies adopt a 5 minute routine whereby operators work out a 5 minute cleanup routine for each day of the week such that by week end, everything has been covered the required number of times.
'Cleaning is Checking' means that these are integrated. You don't just clean up, you check for any abnormality and its root causes.
Housekeeping standards need to be maintained (see the section on Standards). Carry out audits on housekeeping regularly. Some companies award a floating trophy for achievement.
Everyone participates in 5S on an ongoing basis. Self-discipline is about participation and improvement. Not just cleaning up the oil, but asking why it is there in the first place.
Note: Alternatives for the 5S (but essentially the same thing are Simplify, Straighten, Scrub, Stabilise, and Sustain; or CANDO - Cleanup, Arrange, Neatness, Discipline, and Ongoing Improvement.
The 7 steps of Autonomous Maintenance are very similar to 5S except that there are two additions:
The first of these follows the sort or cleanup stage and the second is done after external simplification.