Would You introduce 5S here ?

“You will probably think we should run 5S here – with your background, I think”. This is what Jan Hansen, controller and purchaser at TMDT in Ribe, said to me when we went through their machine shop. I must admit that I was tempted to agree with him, but instead replied that I was not sure that it was the right thing for them to do.

TMDT in Ribe is a fantastic machine shop where they renovate combustion engines of all sizes, years and types. They are skilled professionals and indispensable when you, like me, need to renovate your 50 year old Triumph engine. But these workshops are a dying breed – unfortunately.

  Admittedly – TMDT looks like a textbook example of a “before picture” on a 5S board, so why not just get started ? We know how big a difference 5S can make for safety, quality and costs?  The thing is, I’m not sure that employees would want to come into their workplace with neat lines on the floor, shadowboards and standards for how the workplace should be designed. And this is what we often forget when we run the big “Lean brush” over existing workplaces, employees and culture – what is the purpose? If there is no clear need to improve safety, quality or costs, why should we scare employees away? In any case, we should not do it just because the “Lean handbook” sets it as the standard. No one should ever run Lean for MY sake.

  Whether it would make sense to run 5S at TMDT, I can’t say, but after a talk with some of the employees, I do understand that there are probably some things in everyday life that frustrate. It is not always easy to find the tool you need, for example, so if colleagues can agree on some simple rules that can ensure that tools are put back in place after use, then it can probably make a difference.

  For most people, especially for the smaller workplaces, it can be overwhelming to get started with e.g. a 5S project. It takes time, and how do we get things done in a proper order and agree on what is needed ? It is important to take a few small steps at a time and see what can be done and how much it helps in the daily work. Maybe you are then ready to take the next step.

  As always – never pull a standard Lean solution out of your pocket – take the time to understand what the individual workplace needs before you reach into the toolbox. This will give the best results – and maybe even improve the reputation of the Lean consultants.