LBSPartners Booklet 6S Workplace Organisation
LBSPartners Booklet 6S Workplace Organisation
LBSPartners Booklet 6S Workplace Organisation
Management
By Maurice O’Brien
About LBSPartners
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6S and Visual Management
Contents Page
What is 6S? 1
Visual management 5
Lean Principles 9
Lean Wastes 15
S1 – Sort 20
S2 – Set-in-order 22
S3 – Shine 24
S4 – Standardise 26
S5 – Sustain 28
S6 – Safety 30
Templates 32
6S and Visual Management
What is 6S?
The 6S process is a series of steps and procedures
which are used to arrange work areas in the best
manner to enhance performance, safety and
cleanliness.
Features of 6S
• 6S provides a solid base for all process improvement
activity
• It represents the first step on the Visual Management
ladder
• It places work-teams in control of their own areas
• It helps focus on causes and elimination of waste
• It helps establish standards of storage, housekeeping
and visual communication
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S1 Sort S4 Standardise
S2 Set-in-order S5 Sustain
S3 Shine S6 Safety
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Benefits of 6S
• Increases productivity, saves time, reduces costs;
improves safety, aims to eliminate all kinds of waste.
• Arranges work areas in the best manner to enhance
performance, safety and cleanliness.
• Facilitates the early detection of issues or problems – if
things look right, they generally are. Once the issues are
made obvious, problem solving can begin.
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6S and Visual Management
Benefits of 6S
To the employee
• It provides the opportunity to provide creative input
• The workplace is made Cleaner, Safer and Simpler
• It provides a more pleasant workplace
• It increases job satisfaction
• It results in fewer frustrations in work area
• It improves communication
To the organisation
• It is the basis for all process improvement
• It improves quality by reducing defects
• It reduces costs by eliminating wastes
• It improves delivery performance by reducing delays
• It allows for reduced injuries, promoting safety
• Supports the implementation of other Lean initiatives
such as JIT, TPM, Quick Changeover
• It allows for increasing growth through competitive
advantage
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6S and Visual Management
Visual Management
Visual management is defined as a set of techniques for
creating a visual workplace, embracing visual
communication and control throughout the work
environment
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6S and Visual Management
Visual management - Goals
• The work environment should be spotless, safe and
self-cleaning
• Standards should be easy to recognise and abnormal
conditions are quickly identified, enabling speedy
analysis and resolution
• Performance and progress should be readily apparent
to employees
• Mechanisms should be in place to significantly reduce
or remove waste and defects in the process
Visual Display
Visual display involves the exhibition of specific
information relating to the running of a work area in that
area, for example:
• Team, training matrices etc.
• Standard Work Instructions
• Performance information
• Status of current issues
• Schedules for maintenance, calibration & other
support activities
• Product and process information
• Customer requirements information
• Site level display boards
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6S and Visual Management
Visual Control
• Visual control is also referred to as “management by
sight”.
• It goes beyond just simply tracking and displaying
performance information - it serves as a “trigger” for
action e.g. based on monitoring hourly production
tracking charts, control charts etc.
• Gauges & dials are a form of visual control – they are
used to display the current process condition.
• Material can be managed visually by identifying
correct locations, quantities, types and Kanbans.
• Methods of visual control include the use of:
• Andons – lights and boards – used to notify an
operator of a situation where a process is out-of-
control, allowing them to take corrective action.
• Poka Yoke (Error Proofing) – putting measures in
place so that a task can only be performed one
way, the correct way.
Lean Principles
Lean Thinking
Lean thinking focuses on each product/service and its
value stream rather than management of firms &
assets. The objective of Lean is to enhance value and
eliminate waste (muda). The following lean principles
define the steps which guide the implementation of
Lean across an organisation.
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Value add
Non Value Non Value
Adding - Adding -
Required Waste
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Value Stream
A Value Stream is the sum of all the activities necessary
to create, order and produce a product or provide a
service.
The Value Stream should be viewed from the Product
perspective. It includes all activities touching the product
both value adding and non-value-adding.
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6S and Visual Management
Flow
Each individual piece of work keeps moving i.e. being
continuously worked on with no queues, waiting or
rework.
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6S and Visual Management
Pull
• No one upstream should produce a Product or
Service until the Customer downstream asks for it
Perfection
• The ultimate objective is perfection - where every
action and asset creates value for the end customer
• Most of what we do is waste!
• The more layers of waste you remove the more
waste you can see!
• This is not a step change but a path which via a
model of Continuous Improvement.
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6S and Visual Management
Lean Wastes
One of the most effective ways to increase a
company’s profitability is to eliminate waste from its
operations. The activities performed by a company
either add value or waste to the production of a
product or a service. Lean thinking classifies waste
under the following categories. To easily remember
these wastes, the mnemonic TIM WOODS is used a
prompt.
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6S and Visual Management
How do we get to a 6S State?
• The involvement of employees at all levels of the
organisation is key to a successful 6S
implementation.
• Ownership for the 6S programme must come from
the top management
• The effort must be applied plant-wide
• All employees must be involved
• The relevant training, communication and
understanding must be in place at all levels
• Encouragement must be provided – all employees
must resolve not to give up when the programme
gets difficult
• Link 6S to the company’s survival path
• The following responsibilities must be considered:
• Participate in implementation
• Give up the old habits – take up the new
• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
• Maintain the standard through measurement
and support
• Celebrate achievements
• Be aware of the benefits
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6S and Visual Management
Good is 3S - 6S is Great
First phase of LEAN introduction
• Conversion of motion to work
• Neat desks have higher productivity
• Neat work areas produce fewer defects
• Neat work areas will meet deadlines better
“We all like to work in a safe, clean environment”
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6S and Visual Management
S1 - SORT
Sort means that you remove from the workplace all
items that are not needed for the current operation.
Leave only the bare essentials – when in doubt take
it out.
Implementation steps
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6S and Visual Management
S2 – SET-IN-ORDER
Once the Sort step has been completed and the essential
items have been identified, a suitable location must be
assigned to each item.
• Arrange necessary items in good order so that they are
easily accessible
• Everything should be able to be found and retrieved
within 30 seconds
• There should be a home for everything and everything
should be in its home
• Appropriate labelling should be used, so that anyone
can find items and put them away
• The focus is on eliminating “wastes” such as searching,
difficulty in using items etc.
Set-in-order toolkit
Motion Mapping (6S maps or Spaghetti
Diagrams)
Labelling and Signboards
Floor Taping
Colour Coding
Outlining/Shadowboards
Before and After comparisons -
(photographs for example)
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6S and Visual Management
Implementation steps
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6S and Visual Management
S3 – SHINE
The Shine step involves cleaning your workplace
extensively to eliminate all dirt, grease and dust from
the floor, machines, materials and equipment.
• This will ensure and verify that everything is ready
for use.
• Cleanliness leads to inspection and early detection of
problems.
• Shine contributes to improved Morale, Safety,
breakdowns prevention and defect prevention.
Implementation tips
• Define Target Areas
• Draw map of areas and determine parts, equipment
and space to be inspected/cleaned
• Distribute responsibility for 6S to named individuals
• Create a cleaning schedule to be completed for each
area and identify the people who will complete the
cleaning tasks
• Devote certain times exclusively to cleaning and
inspection e.g. 5 minute “shine”
• Define a minimum standard for each area
• Develop a cleaning checklist
• Establish a minimum requirement for cleanliness
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Implementation steps
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S4 – STANDARDISE
The Standardise step establishes the platform to maintain
and improve continuously the level of organisation and
readiness in the workplace.
• Not just when the boss is around
• Not just at the beginning of the week for the audit
• Not when visitors are scheduled
• But as a regular function of your daily activities
Make first three S’s “unbreakable” - the state that exists
when S1, S2 and S3 are properly maintained.
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Implementation steps
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S5 – SUSTAIN
Make a habit of properly maintaining correct procedures.
The aim is to build a Continuous Improvement culture
which recognises standards and invests in maintaining
and developing them.
Sustaining – How?
Awareness Recognition
Everyone involved must understand
The efforts of the 6S team must
the 6S steps and the importance of
be recognised by management
sustaining them
Time Satisfaction
Support Structure
Needs full and continuing
A structured plan for the 6S must be
support from management in
in place - it must be monitored and
terms of leadership, resources
modified where necessary
and recognition
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6S and Visual Management
Implementation tips
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6S and Visual Management
S6 – SAFETY
Safety must be a primary consideration while
implementing any 6S programme.
Safety is a universal
responsibility for all
! employees in an
organisation
On completion of the first 5S’, safety will be enhanced.
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6S and Visual Management
Implementation tips
Ensure that:
• All safety equipment is present and is regularly
maintained e.g. fire extinguishers, Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE), First Aid kit
• All required signage is in place e.g. exits, hazards
• All trip hazards are eliminated
• All electrical cabling is safely routed
• All equipment and lighting is in working order
• All floor surfaces are in good condition
• All walkways and stairways are clearly marked and free
from material and other obstacles
Benefits
• Reduced injuries and work-related illnesses
• Cost savings – avoid medical and insurance costs
• Improvements in productivity and morale
Outcomes
• All equipment/lighting in working order
• Clear signage
• Marked walkways cleared of obstructions
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6S and Visual Management
TEMPLATES
A selection of standard forms are presented on the
succeeding pages, to assist in any 6S implementation.
These are listed as follows:
1. Approved material and equipment list – to help
standardise the material and equipment which is
needed
2. Corrective action log – to track actions to
completion
3. 6S Map – to document the current state and
plan/document the improved layout
4. 6S Evaluation form – to facilitate the audit process
5. Daily 6S schedule – to help set out the schedule for
6S activities
6. Problem/Countermeasure sheet – to record
issues/opportunities for improvement and the
measures proposed to resolve the issue or
introduce the improvement
Please note that the original templates are available
from www.lbspartners.ie
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3. 6S map
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4. 6S Evaluation Form
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5. Daily 6S Schedule
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6. Problem/Countermeasure Sheet
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