I'm going to start using 5S in my facility. What advice do you have?

5S is a great place to start improvement activities since it embodies key principles of Lean manufacturing such as eliminating waste. It's a system of workplace organization and cleanliness (Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) developed by Toyota. Consider having a consultant help you introduce it to one work area that you expect to be receptive. Provide employees in that area with brief training in 5S and related Lean principles, emphasizing how it benefits them. With success in one area you can more easily spread it throughout your facility. Many implementations fall short by not focusing on the deeper purpose of 5S--spotting problems quickly and getting employees to observe their own work practices, think about why and how they do them, and develop an improvement mindset. Determine whether your goal is to be a Lean thinking and acting organization or simply to have a neater workplace.

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