We have developed the first and second "S" of organizational effectiveness. These are five keys to continuous improvement, the outstanding results of which have been demonstrated for 30 years. In the first "S," SEIRI, we have separated what is not necessary for daily operations, and then, by applying SEITON, we have begun to organize the rest to facilitate the use and location of the elements.
Now comes the time to develop the third strategy called SEISO. It translates as Cleaning But it's more than just cleaning. It involves combating the sources of dirt so that the causes of deterioration or poor working conditions disappear. In a mature implementation of this fantastic management system, SEISO cleaning basically consists of
- Clean everything and keep things in order.
- Clear things and people.
- Restore basic conditions.
- Take temporary measures against sources of dirt.
Cleanliness can play an important role in improving workplace efficiency and safety. It's also linked to employee morale and their attitude toward improvement.
 Example of Seiso in a chemical company |
Too often, we encounter 5S implementations that suffer from a certain naiveté and reduce a fantastic system to organizing and tidying activities. It's curious that those responsible for such implementations haven't considered that if the system were just that, it would be cheaper to outsource the service that companies in our region perform so well. Evidently, when Toyota began this development, it had much more in mind than sweeping and tidying.
Factories that do not develop Cleaning from a SEISO logic suffer from the following types of problems:
- Defects are less obvious in dirty, messy factories.
- The windows are so dirty that very little sunlight filters through. This is detrimental to morale and work efficiency.
- Puddles of oil and water cause slips and accidents.
- Machines don't receive sufficient maintenance checks and tend to break down frequently. This leads to delivery delays.
- Machines that are not sufficiently maintained tend to operate incorrectly at times, which can be dangerous.
- Cutting filings can become mixed in the production and assembly processes, resulting in increased defects.
The key to this "S" is creating a healthy work environment, as cleanliness relieves stress and fatigue, consistently improving operational results. Since the methodological principle is not associated with working with machines, this demonstrates the system's applicability to any type of business, regardless of size or sector.
But surely the most important value of this strategy lies in understanding Cleaning as an inspection, since it is from this critical perspective that each worker begins to prevent deterioration and thus contribute to the systematic elimination of losses.
As a reminder, we could summarize the content of this third S in one sentence:
Cleaning is inspection.
In the next installment we will address the fourth “S” or Seiketsu
Eng. Raúl A. Perez Verzini
International Instructor TPM # 723
Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance.
