Problems of implementing the 5S system

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The primary problem is an organizational one: it is not always easy to determine who is responsible for what in a project or in the company as a whole, and who coordinates its implementation in different areas.

If you have a large regional network and the project is launched centrally, you may find that the individual branch managers do not provide adequate support to the warehouse teams.

Another serious mistake of the branch manager, warehouse manager, is delegating the management of the 5S implementation project to his subordinates, instead of becoming a leader and the main ideologist, to exercise control independently. This is a significant mistake in the methods of 5S implementation and not only.

It is necessary to change the benin email list perception and vision of employees, as it will be difficult for them to understand which items are necessary and which are not. When trying to explain that sorting only concerns a certain area of ​​the warehouse, employees may think that everything unnecessary should be disposed of. It is important to convey to them that unnecessary items do not necessarily have to be thrown away, but that a suitable place should be found for them, taking into account the frequency of their use.

The lack of software products in the company that facilitate the exchange of experience between employees is also becoming a serious problem. Information about problems and ways to solve them often does not reach all departments, which leads to duplication of efforts and the search for solutions in isolation.

Example of implementation of the 5S system
An example of successful implementation of 5S principles can be seen in the experience of the scientific and production association "MIR" in 2004. This enterprise specialized in the creation of automated energy resource accounting systems and measuring instruments, as well as the management of energy facilities.

Before the implementation of the system, all department heads took part in an educational seminar, and the information received was passed on to their subordinates. In parallel, a control and monitoring commission was created to regularly check the implementation process.

Example of implementation of the 5S system

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To ease the adaptation, employees were given the opportunity to keep their personal workstations unchanged. However, all the main stages of 5S were carried out in accordance with the recommendations. This included:

introduction of the concept of the “Golden Rule”, which establishes the employee’s responsibility in two directions: for his own work and for the team’s results;

creation of a common computerized structure with a single tree of working folders;

collecting effective solutions and proposals from all staff.

Despite the preliminary preparation, the implementation was delayed for six months due to the resistance of employees to the changes. Many of them refused the changes, claiming that their workplaces were already organized optimally. Overcoming this resistance took considerable time and effort.

Since 2006, productivity and product quality have improved by 16% through the implementation of 5S. This has resulted in:

to reduce the time required for document flow (documents stopped getting lost and were available in both electronic and paper form);

strengthening discipline and, as a result, reducing the percentage of defects;

the number of accidents has decreased and the time it takes to resolve them has been reduced;

the overall emotional climate in the team improved, and the clarification of relationships between employees on the topic of “who is to blame for the problem” ceased.

Recognizing the importance of the psychological attitude of employees, as well as to consolidate results and maintain a positive mood of the staff, the management began quarterly rewarding the best employees and departments for compliance with 5S requirements.