5S Seiso
5S Seiso is the third stage in your 5S program implementation, 5S being an effective Lean Manufacturing tool which helps with not just your housekeeping, but with boosting your efficiencies, improving safety, and ensuring standardized ways of working. 5S benefits are based around the fact that it will help to remove the seven wastes of lean manufacturing from your processes, not just in your manufacturing areas , but also in service industries; you can even implement 5S in the office.
Following on from 5S Seiri where you removed all of the clutter from your workplace and 5S Seiton where you arranged all the remaining items in their best positions, 5S Seiso is organized effective cleaning of your area.
Purpose of 5S Seiso
The purpose of 5S Seiso is not to beautify your work place, although it does a good job of doing so. I have been into even machine shops where you feel that you could eat your food from the floor as it was so clean and tidy.
The true reason for 5S Seiso is to make problems obvious; it is a significant part of your visual management. You will not spot an oil leak in an untidy workshop where the oil is leaking onto the absorbent granules still there from the last leak. But in a tidy, newly painted work shop the same leak will stand out like a sore thumb enabling you to take action before the leak becomes a more serious condition.
Implementing 5S Seiso.
Clean and check all machinery.
The team should go to work with suitable cleaning materials and clean every surface and hidden corner. Equipment should be repainted where necessary to bring machinery to a “new” state.
Once you have bought your area to a state of cleanliness it must be maintained as such, time must be allocated, and cleaning materials be provided. Cleaning schedules should be created, stating what should be done, when, how and who by.
5S Shine and Check
Remember; this is clean and check, when cleaning the operators should be checking for any abnormality, anything that is unusual or out of place. The team should then diagnose and solve the problems, involving the relevant people as required such as maintenance.
5S Shine PowerPoint Presentation and PDF for Free Download
5S Seiso Shine – PPT Presentation
5S Seiso or Shine – PDF Download
5S Shine Video
Benefits of 5S Seiso
As I have already stated, it is not the clean up that is the major benefit here, it is the discipline of checking for problems and having them become obvious against the “perfect” background. By not turning a blind eye to problems we encourage all to look for root causes of problems and try to find solutions.
So things like; waste that accumulates in one area, can lead the team to improve machine guarding, waste collection and removal to eliminate the problem.
Next steps after 5S Seiso
The next stage after 5S Seiso is 5S Seiketsu (Standardize, stabilize, Conformity) where you will look to create standard operations and ways of working. This is followed by 5S Shitsuke (Sustain, self discipline, custom and practice) where you will integrate the principles and ideals of 5S within the culture of your company. Ensuring that everyone will be checking for problems as they walk around the facility and pointing out issues such as the leaking machine for resolution.
If you have any questions or comments about Lean 5S Seiso (Sweep, shine, clean and Check) or would like to share your own implementation please feel free to use the space below.