INGENIEUR
locations ever ready for use so that users can
retrieve and use them in a convenient manner.
Figure 5 shows a good example of strategic
location for cleaning tools inside a production
floor.
3. Improvement circle. Once a basic cleaning
activity is in order, users are encouraged to
contribute improvement ideas such as ways:
i. to eliminate contaminants and eradicate
the need to do constant cleaning;
ii. to ease cleaning tasks, especially hard-toclean things or areas, by designing special
cleaning tools or cleaning methods. Figure
6 exhibits few specially fabricated cleaning
tools for hard-to-clean applications; and
iii. to learn to recognize potential threats,
investigate problems and find root causes.
For example, recognizing abnormal odours,
noise, vibration or over heating in an
operating machine as a threat to potential
machine breakdown. Or finding loose bolts
or oil drips on the floor that may show users
that some things are not normal which
warrant further investigation.
4. Motivation. Identify the best cleaned things
or areas so that a token of appreciation can
6
52
VOL 62 APRIL – JUNE 2015
VOL 55 JUNE 2013
be awarded to the users. Also it is good to
provide rewards to users who detect and avert
potential problems while cleaning or users who
contribute best ideas for improvement. These
are good ways to encourage and motivate
users to engage actively in S3-Shine activities.
Figure 7 illustrates the S3-Shine steps.
S 4 -Standardize (Seiketsu)
Purpose. Standardize means to regulate the
previous three earlier S steps – Sort, Stabilize
and Shine activities to ensure that the 5S status
is constantly maintained. Unless every step is
standardized, everybody will be carrying out
activities according to his or her own way and
making assessments based upon his or her
criteria. If this is the case, 5S movement will
not produce the desired results. Therefore S4 is
essential to control and lock the earlier S1, S2 and
S3 implementations.
Method. The key to standardization methods is to
apply visual control. It actual goes back to human
behaviour that seeing is believing, seeing triggers
actions and seeing generates abidance of rules.
Based on this, the objective of 5S movement visual
control is to create awareness and understanding