What happens after 5S

[margadri]

I can see last year interest and response about the lean manufacturing thread.
I can also see how short lived it was.
We have started training a couple of weeks ago and I would like to ask your opinion about "the after" experience.
So far I am not impressed and I can't see anything new bound to happen in our factory, but everybody has to do it and I am curious to see what happens next.
You people have been there and done that.
What am I going to expect in the next future?
I must say I work in prepress and I have nothing to do with management!
Thank you in advance for any insight.

[CruzinCooler]

My worthless opinion is it's a huge waste of time and money. If your company is hurting the last place to put money is in a concept that just flat out annoys every worker because of bad owner/managerial decisions. What a waste of resources. Going through it twice before, both companies eventually went out of business anyway, didn't help moral one bit. Basically do more work with less people. Wow what a genius solution. Ownership is always right even to the bitter end. They never want to listen to anyone but their "key" personal. You know the ones, the same ones that got the company there in the first place. My advice is to immediately start looking for another job because the companies days are over. Your life is going to be hectic at work and the owner's attitude will be even worse now that everybody knows he/she is about to loose the company and they're desperate. Sounds harsh, I know but facts are facts, I wish someone could've proven me wrong.

[margadri]

My worthless opinion is it's a huge waste of time and money. If your company is hurting the last place to put money is in a concept that just flat out annoys every worker because of bad owner/managerial decisions. What a waste of resources. Going through it twice before, both companies eventually went out of business anyway, didn't help moral one bit. Basically do more work with less people. Wow what a genius solution. Ownership is always right even to the bitter end. They never want to listen to anyone but their "key" personal. You know the ones, the same ones that got the company there in the first place. My advice is to immediately start looking for another job because the companies days are over. Your life is going to be hectic at work and the owner's attitude will be even worse now that everybody knows he/she is about to loose the company and they're desperate. Sounds harsh, I know but facts are facts, I wish someone could've proven me wrong.

The company I am working for is very healthy. Great turn around and no problems in sight (that I can see so far).
I don't know what made them make this decision.
I would like to believe is because they really want to improve.
BTW I am always looking for another job as long as it is far from Printing and Prepress.
I had enough of all this a long time ago!!!!

[Kramer68]

Are you refering to 5S as the straighting, cleaning, organizing, etc.....

[GiveUsPDF's]

My worthless opinion

Well that's about the most accurate thing you said in the entire post.

Good luck fella....

[rieggs]

Are you refering to 5S as the straighting, cleaning, organizing, etc.....

Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain, and the 6th S Safety

Well that's about the most accurate thing you said in the entire post.

Good luck fella....

[Kramer68]

We started the 5s and switched to 6s recently. Great progam. When we walk customers through the building, they are amazed at how clean the place is.

[margadri]

We started the 5s and switched to 6s recently. Great program. When we walk customers through the building, they are amazed at how clean the place is.

Thank you but beside keeping the place clean, what else do we get after completing the program?
We already had a "clean and get a carton of beer" program that was working fine.
Not too much mess around here!

[margadri]

Are you refering to 5S as the straighting, cleaning, organizing, etc.....

Well, I am posting in the "lean manufacturing" thread.....

[RGPW17100]

Some of the 5S can be practiced anywhere. Major production floors can save substantial amounts of money having the study done on their operations and then implementing them. Smaller companies of say 25 or less really gain little especially if it is an all out push. In a lot of situations it is an idea that sounds good to an owner but real hard to implement. It is more then just keeping a place clean it is about making the work place more productive. I think a good production manager could read the book and then see areas where their shop could benefit from some of the ideas and maybe sit down with co workers and discuss them. There was a topic in the book called the spaghetti something that basically would video tape a person during a couple hours and show how un organized that persons area was by how many times they had to move around to complete their job. One of mine was a press was washed 8 times in one shift and the operator had to take the water trays to the sink and return on each wash up. The simple solution was placing a 5 gallon water bucket next to the press. Having an owner or manager come in start preaching on how they want to be Toyota and planning on implementing everything in the book will lead to disaster. Here again this is my own experience.