How to Apply 5S Lean Principles in a Service Department

A Lean approach was taken to solve the problem of disorganization. Lean Manufacturing tools like 5S, Kanban, and Kaizen were used during the process. As a result, we could reduce cost, worker movement, eliminate bottlenecks, and enforce OSHA safety standards.

What is 5S?

According to the Kaizen Institute USA, 5S is a “systematic and methodological approach allowing teams to organize a workplace in the safest and most efficient manner”. 5S is not merely a system of organization, but is also in the words of Randy Rollo, Director of Operations, “a way to drive accountability and discipline”. Adherence to the principles of 5S (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain) will lead to lower costs, improved quality, higher productivity, and improved safety standards. In the service industry, customer satisfaction plays a key role and 5S can help achieve that target.

How was 5S implemented in the Service Department?

Sort: Eliminate all items not required in the Service Department.

The Service Department was crammed with old, unused parts, tools, demonstration materials, and inventory. With the help of the Warehouse Manager and Service Technicians, unnecessary items were identified and items that were not in use on a regular basis were either discarded or stored elsewhere. The process of sorting must be ruthless in order to build a strong foundation for the rest of the S’s to follow.

As a result of discarding junk and getting rid of miscellaneous items, we were able to focus on organizing materials that were frequently used in the workspace. The Service Department was already looking decluttered and cleaner to proceed with the next S.

Set in Order: Arrange and identify items such that they can be easily stored and accessed when needed.

The next step of the 5S process was to arrange all the remaining tools and machinery that would reduce worker movement and time taken to access and retrieve them. Using a Spaghetti Diagram to track worker movements, it was found that accessing the air hose and finding the right tools on the workbench was cumbersome, as seen from the traced movements in the picture.

Thus, the air hose was repositioned above the workbench for minimizing effort and enhancing ergonomics. A new workbench with pegboards, drawers, and cabinets was installed with the help of our Service Team member, Zach Toth, to better organize tools and to create a prototype for the rest of the workbenches. All tools that are constantly used for repairs are placed on the pegboard with appropriate labeling. They are kept reachable and closest to the user. The less frequently used tools are placed in the drawers and cabinets. The drawers were then lined with Kaizen foam that is cut out to fit the appropriate tool. Each tool is neatly labeled to reduce the time taken to access it. Furthermore, an overhead light, ergonomic chair and ergonomic mat that complies with OSHA Safety Standards were installed to make sure Service Technicians do not exert themselves while working.

A few tools and equipment are common to all the Service Technicians and those are stored in the “Common Area”. Akin to the workbench, the Common Area has all tools organized using pegboards, Kaizen foam, and accurate labeling. A GPS Tape also helps identify the location of tools in the Service Department. For example, all items on Workbench I are color coded blue. Hence, if mistakenly placed elsewhere, anyone will be able to find its home and correctly return the item.

The cabinets were crammed and needed to be well organized. Our Structural Designer, Shannon Doyle, built sturdy organizers using corrugated cardboard for all the items in the cabinets. This helped better store items and the cabinets are no longer cluttered. Furthermore, a shadow board was hung to identify missing cleaning tools.

In addition, using a 5S Map to evaluate current and better locations for the items, several layout changes were made. Similar items were grouped together and frequently used items were made easier to retrieve. There were multiple issues with the old layout. As pictured on the map, Cabinets A, B, and C were inconveniently placed, reduced working space for Workbench II, and Workbench III compromised safety. There were three shelves for Work in Progress items that led to items piling up and dead inventory. Hence, the cabinets were moved against the wall and one of the shelves was eliminated. Resultantly, more space was created for working and the Service Department was further decluttered.

Shine: Remove dirt and grime from surfaces and equipment. Ensure all equipment is in working condition.

Once the processes of Sort and Set in Order were completed, we moved to the next step, Shine. The goal of Shine is to clean all surfaces and make the working environment free of dirt and dust. In addition, we also need to keep equipment in good condition. We ran a floor scrubber, got rid of dust from workbenches, cabinets, and toolboxes, sanitized the break room area, and inspected equipment for maintenance. As a result, we eliminated the possible causes of injury and equipment breakdowns. This reduces downtime and helps us dedicate our time for productive activities, thereby increasing revenue.

Standardize: Create a system of tasks and procedures to reinforce 5S daily.

Standardizing is one of the most important processes of 5S because it creates a system of tasks that need to be performed daily to ensure 5S implementation. A Kanban Board was introduced in the Service Department which would create a visual of progress and bottlenecks. Issues will be discussed during Gemba Walks and that helps make people more accountable for potential problems.

Moreover, a 5S Audit Checklist that is defined as “a bench-marking checklist that accesses how well a factory or an office is organized”, according to the Creative Safety Supply blog, was created. Every week, Service Technicians will conduct the audit and rate different parameters to evaluate how the Service Department is sustaining 5S.

In addition, guides for how the floor tape and the GPS tape has been clearly standardized and posted. A document containing the placement and location of tools on the workbench and common area is then put together for reference if a tool or piece of equipment is missing from the designated area. Plus, tools, equipment, areas, and items in the Service Department are assigned and labeled using consistent labels and banners.

Resultantly, each item has a specific location that it must return to, to keep the Service Department organized. Labelling and signage allow anyone to easily access the required tools and equipment without assistance and that is one of the major goals of this project.

Sustain: Maintain steady results through the development of a 5S culture.

The final and the most important step of 5S is Sustain. The objective of Sustain is to maintain the established 5S standards. This is done through training and motivating employees to stay on track. It is paramount that upper management gets involved and incentivizes this process because that provides a drive to follow. Acknowledging this fact, FlexPAC will conduct Gemba Walks every month to inculcate the commitment to 5S. In addition, the Service Department has introduced a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) board that measures performance based on four crucial parameters (Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost). Compromising on any of these can result in low-quality products and service and can be detrimental to the company’s reputation.

Sustaining is difficult because it requires people to change old habits. Hence, for a successful transition to Lean at FlexPAC, we applied the change management method of PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act). We planned to change the organization and workflow in the Service Department, implemented improvement ideas on a small scale (such as the workbench), checked results, received feedback, and acted based on our results and learning.

Introduction of other key aspects of Lean

Safety and Ergonomics: Reinforce OSHA safety standards and creating an ergonomic workspace.

Although there are only 5 essential steps in the 5S system, safety also plays an important role in the Service Department. Thus, to create an accident-free environment, we took a few measures. Earlier, flammable substances like lubricants, oil based cleaners, enamel etc. were not stored correctly and were susceptible to fire accidents. Hence, a flammable cabinet was purchased to store all hazardous substances in the Service Department and Warehouse. In addition, high voltage and fire-prone areas are carefully marked using signs and floor tape. Similarly, an ergonomic mat and ergonomic chair have been introduced in the work area to reduce fatigue and increase productivity.
Sustainability: Make processes more environmentally friendly.

Service Technicians go on site to conduct repairs for our customers and need to access documents pertaining to case history, schematic diagrams, manuals etc. The process of retrieval of documents can be time consuming and inefficient. Thus, teaming up with our Service Manager, Brad Anderson, we devised a method to reduce retrieval time and eliminate the use of paper by using QR Codes. A QR Code, like a barcode, can store data that can be quickly scanned by a mobile device using a QR Code Reader. The process is not only seamless but also accurate and free of cost. All necessary information can be stored on a drive (Google Drive, for example) or a link and can be readily accessed by the Service Technician on site. Further expanding the idea, Brad labeled the QR Codes to the items ready to be shipped and our customer can scan the code to read information about the repair or equipment. Thus, FlexPAC reduced time, cost, and took a conscious step towards sustainability.

Results and FlexPAC’s Plan of Action

Implementing 5S in the Service Department has led to a cleaner, safer, and organized workspace. The Service Technicians are happier coming to work since less time is spent looking for tools and more time to produce great results. Moreover, 5S drives accountability and people are more responsible and engaged to continuously improve the working area. Incentivizing implementation promotes healthy competition and generates better KPIs, profits, and reputation for FlexPAC. We plan to expand our 5S initiative to other departments and branches. FlexPAC envisions to first make Lean a routine and eventually ingrain it in our culture.