By Dan Custer
Riverside, Inc.
Editor’s Note: This is the third in the “5+1 S Series” of articles written by EASA’s Management Services Committee to provide “lean service” resources to members. The traditional “5S” program covers these goals: sort, straighten, shine, standardize and sustain. We’ve added safety to make it the “5+1 S Series.”
Last month, Ron Collins, a fellow member of the Management Services Committee, explained the “straighten” activity and how it helps service center personnel work more efficiently. This month I’ll cover the third S: Shine.
Shine activity
The shine activity refers to cleaning that goes beyond standard sweeping of the shop or a quick wipe down of a work bench. It refers to consistent daily cleaning of your work space, tools, equipment and supplies. All of these items should be in the same condition at the end of each day as when the day started.
There are many advantages of the shine activity, not the least of which is a safer work space. There are fewer hazards in a work area that is cleaned on a consistent basis. There are fewer tripping and pinch point hazards and other distractions, which all contribute to a safer work environment.
Another benefit of the shine activity is compliance. Regulatory and compliance organizations such as OSHA will find fewer hazards in a clean service center. These same agencies are less likely to seek other violations if everything on the surface is clean and organized, and they see that an abundance of care has been taken to maintain a workplace that shines.
Efficiency is also enhanced by consistent cleaning. It may take your employees a while to buy into the idea that the extra time they spend “shining” will improve efficiency, but it will. For example, when cleanliness is maintained, you are able to stage items for repair after the cleaning process and not have to clean them again, which would cause more labor hours to be charged to the job. This could also delay completion of the job.
Customer confidence can also be affected by making sure you are implementing the “shine” activity. If a customer comes to visit your facility and your shop is pristine, they are likely to concentrate on the purpose of the visit, whether that is to show off your capabilities or get them to understand the repair that is needed to their equipment. If your service center is a mess, customers will likely be distracted by that and lose confidence that your repair is going to meet the highest standards.
Lastly, when this S is implemented, it also allows you to see when something needs to be repaired before it becomes a bigger issue. When there is a good bit of dirt or grime built up on something, it may be masking a leak or something else that needs to be fixed. For example, fixing a small leak on a hydraulic line for your balancer because you’ve consistently kept the area clean and can detect a leak immediately saves you from being down at a critical time.
As you can see, there are many advantages to maintaining a clean work area every day, which is why “shine” is one of the “5+1 Ss.”
Next month: Focus on standardization
Once you complete this step to improve service center efficiency, you’re ready to move on to the next “S” goal: Standardization. It will be covered in next month’s article.
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