6S

To Create a Workplace suited for Visual Control and Lean Production

The Six Ss

Is not Six Sigma

A highly disciplined process that focuses on developing and delivering near-perfect products and services

6S is Sort, Straighten, Shine (Scrub), Safety, Standardize, Sustain

5-S in Japanese factories Focus: orderliness 6th S added in some US companies Safety Combines orderliness with safety / ergo Overall intention: CLEAN, SAFE, ORDERLY First step on Lean Journey

Visual Factory/Office
1st Level: See the Shop/Office

Basic 6S 90% never get beyond this point In 5 Seconds, can you see whats going on?

2nd Level: See the work

6S

Think of 6-S as a repeating action sequence:

1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:

SORT OUT - get rid of whats not needed STRAIGHTEN - organize what belongs SCRUB - clean up, see and solve problems SAFETY - make the work area safe STANDARDIZE - assign tasks, track visually SUSTAIN - keep it up (audit and insist)

Remember

This applies to all areas (value-adding and administrative) Basic "6-S is part of establishing any cell

Sort

GET RID OF WHATS NOT NEEDED

Start with a red tag campaign Tag everything that looks disorderly or unsafe Be ruthless (90% of the time you'll be OK, you'll get over the 10%) If in doubt throw it out If still in doubt, send it to a red tag area for resolution You should be removing truckloads of items be tough (sometimes youll need to ask for forgiveness later!)

Straighten

ORGANIZE WHAT BELONGS

Create a place for everything

Meet with shop/office personnel on what should be where

Deal with the open red tags from the "Sort Out" step:

Organize parts and material Resolve things you were afraid to throw out Write off or sell off obsolete materials

Straighten

Straighten

Straighten

Straighten

Scrub

CLEAN UP, SEE AND SOLVE PROBLEMS

Make the work area absolutely clean Clean everything (equipment, floors, walls) Paint everything (equipment, floors, walls) Look for problems

Leaks? Loose or missing items Unsafe conditions Causes of messes or problems Quality issues

Solve problems (root cause), take corrective action (prevent)

Scrub

Safety

MAKE THE WORKPLACE SAFER

Look for unsafe conditions Look for potential for unsafe acts Look for difficult tasks (are they ergonomic?) Try the jobs yourself where could you get hurt? List the opportunities Resolve them

Put creativity before capital and put safety first!!!

Safety

Standardize

ASSIGN TASKS AND MANAGE VISUALLY

Who will do what to keep the area clean, safe and orderly? Agree on daily and weekly tasks Establish a visual management system for these tasks

Can you tell at a glance if the tasks have been done?

Standardize

Sustain

KEEP IT UP (AUDIT AND INSIST)

Develop audit checklists for office and for shop floor Assign the audit role to someone outside the area Track the audit results (a bit of friendly competition?) Hold yourselves accountable for sustaining

Sustain - Maintain The Gains

Create checklist for entire area & all items within the area Use checklist daily or weekly as appropriate Once a year have Examiners perform independent review Fix and clean daily Continue to train & heighten awareness Remember you are World Class! Act like it.

Sustain - 6S Scorecard
0 = No evidence that 6S is being considered for implementation 1 = Some evidence of 6S being started 2 = 6S is partially implemented (some gains are evident) 3 = 6S has been implemented but not self-sustaining 4 = 6S has been implemented & is self-sustaining (standard throughout) 5 = 6S is entrenched; efforts have resulted in high achievements 6 = Out-of-the-box; Area is doing extraordinary things, above & beyond the norm

Sustain - 6S Scorecard
0 20 = Some organization, needs much improvement 21 40 = Signs of 6S in place, good organization, needs more time to mature 41 60 = 6S implemented, signs of maturing, not selfsustaining 61 80 = 6S implemented, system is self-sustaining 81 100 = 6S is entrenched with high achievements 100+ = Extraordinary, overand-above, outside-thebox

Visual Management

Make normal / abnormal conditions obvious with

Floor and surface marking Shadow boxes Samples Visual indicators Obstacle height limits Lights and sounds Arrows, zones, stickers Scoreboards Labels and tags

For Shops

Remove unnecessary items All cleaning material stored in a neat manner Floors clean of debris, oil and dirt Bulletin boards updated, straight and neat Easy access to emergency equipment, highly visible Items on floors are in clearly marked areas Aisles are clear and kept free of material Storage of boxes is square, neat, orderly Machines, tools, equipment kept clean Nothing on top of machines or cabinets Documents and binders stored in a neat manner Tools, jigs, fixtures, details are labeled, shadowed, identified, easy to reach Shelves, benches, desks kept free of unused objects, including files and documents

For Offices

Remove unnecessary items, minimum personal items Cleaning equipment stored in a neat manner Floors clean and free of debris and dirt Bulletin boards are updated, straight and neat Easy access to emergency equipment, stored in a prominent manner Nothing on the floor but furniture, CPU, recycle bin and garbage can Office layout posted at each entrance, name and task/position outside cubicle/office Office equipment and furniture is functional and in good repair Paper, cabinets, and bins squared up, centered and at right angles, PC wiring is routed and secured/clamped Desks, surfaces, cabinets, chairs cleaned weekly Nothing on top of overheads or cabinets, nothing leaning against walls or columns, everything labeled Documents and binders stored in a neat and orderly manner Shelves, cabinets, desks kept free of unused objects, including files and documents

Acknowledgements

Lean Thinking by James Womack and Daniel Jones Toyota Production System by Taiichi Ohno Simpler Business System, www.simpler.com