This is a process to get rid of any unnecessary tools and equipment items from the workplace area. Everything else is either discarded or stored. This step is crucial to achieving greater efficiency through workplace design and within the food area.
This process focuses on organizing work areas for maximum efficiency by organizing tools & equipment to promote optimum work flows through minimizing movement. For instance, all tools & equipment should be located as close as possible to where they'll be needed and processes designed to maximize efficiency. For example, if a tool is only to be used at the end of a machine, that's where it should be located and a Salmon Hygiene Technology wall bracket system should be used (product code: WLBR1 – see above image).
This method relates to maintaining a disciplined, systematic approach to ensure a clean & tidy workplace and tip top machines. When every shift ends, work areas are tidied and tools and equipment are returned to their designated locations. This should be carried out every day, rather than become an ad-hoc activity that's introduced when things become disorganized. This principle also suggests that by regularly cleaning machinery and retaining it close to its original condition when it was bought, its efficiency and quality will not be greatly affected. Machinery that's retained in good condition experience less unproductive downtime and will produce quality levels which are very close to new machinery.
This requires that work practices are followed in a uniform and consistent manner. Many companies have followed the first three Ss many times, only to evidence conditions slowly deteriorate. The “Standardize” part of the 5s' addresses this issue. It's better described as the “what, when, whom, where” of 5S. For instance, when a specific machine needs to be maintained, there should be a system (typically checklists and documented instructions) that details what needs to be done, when it must be done, by whom and where.
