Japanese manufacturer Kyocera is implementing the 5S concept which is a workplace organization method focusing on efficiency and effectiveness. 5S program was developed in Japan as a tool for production systems improvement. The 5Ss, Sorting, Straightening, Shining, Standardizing and Sustaining principles are used rigorously at Kyocera and they have recently hired an inspector to oversee the program. A brief example of how the program works shows the inspector wanting to see inside an employee’s desk where a drawer full of clutter becomes an immediate target for the 5S process.
1. What would you see as the value in Kyocera using 5S?
2. What are some advantages and disadvantages of trying to impose a similar culture in Canadian companies?
3. What might your response be to having to engage in the 5S principles in your workplace?