5S for Operators Learning Package

Citation

Narasimhan, K. (2003), "5S for Operators Learning Package", The TQM Magazine, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 292-293. https://doi.org/10.1108/tqmm.2003.15.4.292.1

In order survive in the twenty‐first century organizations have to achieve simultaneously the multiple objectives of high quality, low cost, and speedy delivery. Control variability is essential to achieve those objectives. Mr Hiroyuki Hirano of JIT Management Laboratory Company Ltd, in Tokyo, propounded his simple philosophy that a workplace stands or falls depending upon the strength of the five pillars upon which the other operational blocks such as visual control, standard operations, etc. are built. He published his now famous book on 5S in Japanese in 1990, which was translated into English by Bruce Talbot and published, in 1995, as 5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace: The Source Book for 5S Implementation by the Productivity Press. The 5S system is a powerful front‐line approach for eliminating waste and ensuring product and service quality, as well as safety of workers, by simplifying work processes.

Hiroyuki Hirano is a graduate of Senshu University, Japan, and worked in the consulting division of a large software company, where he worked on the just‐in‐time (JIT) philosophy. He has helped a number of companies to introduce JIT systems and has a number of books on JIT, which have been translated into English, that are available from the Productivity Press, Portland, Oregon, USA.

This Learning Package includes a copy of the classic book mentioned above (which is priced at $85.00), five copies of 5S for Operators, and a Leaders Guide (149 pp.) with a CD ROM containing 24 slides and 24 OHP presentation material. The Source Book by Hiroyuki Hirano contains 13 chapters well supported by 44 photographs, 36 tables and 117 figures. The 5S stand for Sort (organize), Set in order (orderliness), Shine (cleanliness) Standardized cleanup, and sustain (discipline). This source book is written for managers and hence contains more details than the book for operators, which contains the essence of 5S in eight chapters (120 pp.).

In The Sourcebook for Implementation, the need for 5S is covered in the first two chapters, with the aid of case studies. Chapters 3 and 4 are devoted to defining the 5S and illustrating how to introduce them into an organization. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the 5S are presented in the following eight chapters. Organization and orderliness are covered in some depth in Chapters 5 and 6 respectively. How to make these two S (using red‐tag strategy and signboard strategy) visible is described in the next three chapters. In Chapters 10 and 11, he deals respectively with cleanliness and standardization. Discipline (i.e. “making a habit of properly maintaining correct procedures”) is dealt with in‐depth in Chapter 12. In Chapter 13, four case studies from Japanese companies are presented. The four topics covered are campaign planning proposal, campaign in small and medium‐sized companies, and large companies, and a promotion strategy in a sales division.

In the preface to the Sourcebook, Hiroyuki Hirano emphasizes that the five pillars should be implemented with utmost care and thoroughness and not be employed to make superficial cosmetic changes.

The 5S for Operators booklet covers the same basic material as in the Sourcebook. However, the structure is different. Chapter 1 entitled “Getting started” deals with the purpose of the book, how to use it, how to get the most out of the book, and an overview of the rest of the contents of the following seven chapters. In Chapter 2, the reader is introduced to the five pillars of 5S, followed by a description of the five pillars, common types of resistance to 5S implementation and the benefits of implementing 5S to both the individual worker and the organization. In the following five chapters an explanation of each of the pillars is given first, followed by how to implement. The explanations of a pillar include a definition, why it is important, and problems avoided by implementing it. The text is interspersed with “take five” reflective questions to reinforce learning. The readers are encouraged to take a five‐minute break and think about answers to two key points covered and write down the answers. The chapters conclude with a summary and questions for reflection on what was learnt, what doubts are there and how to get information to clarify the doubts. In the final chapter, the readers are given some framework to reflect on what is learnt from the book and consider creating a personal format for implementing what is thought useful.

The “leader’s guide” provides guidelines for three types of training sessions: a series of three‐hour modules including application exercises, a series of modules where exercises are done between modules, and shorter modules that do not include application exercises. Each module includes a variety of learning techniques to cater for the different learning styles of participants.

Two useful features of the guide are the appendix containing information about adult learning theory and advice on how to facilitate adult learning, and the cross‐references between the 5S for Operators and The Sourcebook, step‐by‐step facilitation notes, and application worksheets.

Also available from the same source is a seven‐tape 5S system implementation training video package.

Not only have I enjoyed reading the material, but also have learnt how to improve my work area following the 5S tools to improve my service quality to my clients. I recommend that training officers in organizations first acquire The Sourcebook to assess for themselves the usefulness of this simple, yet powerful, approach.