Toyota Production System was developed to provide a quality product at a low price, that’s too in minimum time, to the customers. Several tools and techniques were developed for this purpose. The 5S method ( 5S- A TPS Method) is one of the well-known methods used in the Toyota Production System. 

In this article, we will discuss about 5S method. Ok

What is 5S mehtod?

The 5S method is a Japanese method use in TPS. As the name implied, A 5S method is a set of five Japanese words that denote five steps/phases. These steps/phases are in a logical sequence.  These five Japanese words are  Seiri – Seiton – Seiso – Seiketsu – Shitsuke.  The English version of this method includes five English words with the same meaning and sequence. The English words are Sort – Set in order – Shine – Standardize – Sustain.

These five S are also known as 5S of lean manufacturing due to its main focus on reducing nonproductive time waste.

Objective

The basic objective of the 5S method is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the concerned system by reducing waste especially related to the time.

How does it work?

A 5S method works in five steps. To understand the 5S method completely, one should try to understand all the 5 Steps/ phases involved in the method.

Let’s deal with all the steps individually.

Step 01.  Seiri – Sort

 This is the first step of the 5S method. Seiri is all about the sorting of the available items and removing the unnecessary one.

Step 02.  Seiton – Set in order

Seiton is the second step of the 5S method. In this step, all the sorted items are placed in an appropriate order and place according to their use.

 Step 03.  Seiso – Shine

Seiso is the 3rd step of the 5S system. This step involves the proper cleaning of the workplace and inspection of the items at a regular interval of time.

 Step 04.  Seiketsu – Standardize

The 4th step of the 5S system which demands the conduction of the first three steps on a regular basis.

 Step 05.  Shitsuke –  Sustain

The last step in 5S methodology with an objective to sustain the practices of the above four steps.

Sometimes, the 5S system is also known as a 6S system with safety being the last S.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)

Advantages

The use of 5S method bring the following advantage to any system

• Better utilization of available resources
• Nonproductive time gets reduced
• Shorter manufacturing lead time
• The productivity of the system increased
• Low Cost of Product/ Service

Applications & Scope

 The application area and scope of the 5S method is quite large. It is being applied in almost every field/sector although it was developed for manufacturing units. Some of the application areas are:-

• Health
• Education
• Service , etc.

This is all about of 5S – A TPS Method

Hope you find it useful

Happy Learning