The well know among successful companies 5S principle lets efficiently order a workplace. It has been defined as part of Toyota's manufacturing methodology, and Toyota is well know not only as a novator in car manufacturing, but also as one of main novators in manufacturing technology improvement and this company remains an example to follow for numerous companies over the globe.
The 5S cycle is a special “to do” list and here is what it's about:
Sort (japanese — Seiri) – take away all items you don't need and other obstrucions from the docking area. It gives more free space, saves time and labor. Instead, try to evaluate and leave most essential items;
Set (Seiton) — set the goods in order so they can be easily handled, label the goods for quick identification, place returned goods to their genuine position;
Shine (Seiso) — it's best when there is a perfect cleanliness in the warehouse and the goods picked are clean. The efforts to reach it are worth result;
Standardize (Seiketsu) — do anything needed to keep all the mentioned above improvements work stable and never return to the previous status quo. All items have to remain in their places, the procedures have to be standardized in terms of materials, time spent and tools used;
Sustain (Shitsuke) — keep the state of things and keep improving the technological process. It also regards working disciplione and safety.
All mentioned above components have to work in continuous cycle, maintaining and filling one another.
While this methodology comes from Japan, it obviously holds a main philosophy, which claims that everything has to be in its place and everything has to be precise, which is the feature of modern Japan.
These at first sight, obvious and simple rules, are often neglected due to a high intensive operations at warehouse. However, on the other hand, if to integrate these simple principles and rules in to every day activity and keep them, it will give a great feedback and significant results.
We know those principles and will gladly share our experience with our partners. We can offer a template solution or design a bespoke solution to a specific case.
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