Starting 5S: shared resources, stable standards, real results

Описание: Starting 5S in the wrong place is one of the fastest ways to convince everyone that 5S is just “tidying up”.

If the first pilot doesn’t make work easier for real operators, in a real process, with real day-to-day pressure, you’ll get a nice before/after photo… and then nothing sticks.

The best starting point is an area where many people share the same resources. Not just somewhere that gets seen by a lot of people, but somewhere that gets used by a lot of people. Shared hand tools. Shared cleaning materials. Shared consumables. A helper-materials area near production. A place where multiple shifts touch the same kit, and the group has to agree on what “normal” looks like. That’s where 5S becomes visible and valuable quickly.

It also matters that what you standardise is stable. If the area changes wildly day to day based on product mix or campaign planning, you end up arguing about layout instead of improving work. So for early 5S, I’d rather start with stable flows: hygiene and PPE supplies, cleaning tools around the lines, labels and minor packaging items, basic nuts-and-bolts spares, inserts and changeover kits. These don’t disappear with every schedule change, and the rules of use remain largely the same.

If you start on a production line, narrow the scope on purpose. Focus first on what operators touch by hand: tools, cleaning kit, changeover parts, small consumables, and anything that needs to be available immediately under pressure. Leave the bulky pallet positions and variable staging areas for later, unless they are fixed and predictable. 5S is a loop, not a one-off. You’ll come back, refine, and expand once the team has momentum.

Three practical starter projects work especially well:
1. A shared helper-materials area near production, with replenishment built in (inventory upkeep is part of 5S, and it’s often the forgotten piece).
2. A production line with multiple shifts, focusing on hand-held items and changeover/cleaning support.
3. Leadership offices as a supporting move for buy-in (not as the only pilot). If shop-floor leaders don’t model basic order and clarity, sustaining 5S on the floor gets harder than it needs to be.

Two final realities to plan for. First: let the people doing the work decide what they need and where it should live. Second: expect the well-organised (and maybe better) tools from the pilot area to get "borrowed" by other lines. That’s not theft, it’s demand. Budget for it, and use it as your signal for where the next rollout should go.

#OperationalExcellence #5S #ContinuousImprovement
   • Starting 5S: shared resources, stable stan...  

0:00 Why the first 5S pilot can make or break buy-in
2:07 Start where many people share the same resources
4:58 The real meaning of Sort, Set, Shine
9:11 Choose stable areas so standards can actually stick
14:00 Start small on a line: focus on what operators touch
19:08 Three strong starter projects
22:38 A good 5S launch: operators decide, you remove red tape
25:16 Expect tool ‘borrowing’ and use it to drive rollout

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