Over the last few months, “5+1 S” has served as a small but powerful acronym to describe the removal and continued avoidance of waste in all our business practices. Currents readers have had the opportunity to learn about the five “S” goals of sort, straighten, shine, standardize and sustain in previous articles focusing on lean service. In each of those articles, there has always been a reference to the additional “+1 S” focus on safety.

Over the years, how many of you have worked really hard to lose weight? Some have lost 20, 30 or 40 pounds over a 6-12 month period, only to gain it all back – and more – just a few short months later. Why? That’s because they didn’t permanently change their habits or culture.

Standardize refers to identifying specifically what products, inventory, equipment and procedures we use to guarantee a consistently successful outcome for our customers. With proper standardization, we can ensure better product quality and workmanship, more effective training and onboarding programs for new associates, more consistent communications back to our customers and ultimately greater profitability.

But there are challenges, aren’t there? Don’t we feel like our customers are unique? And doesn’t it seem that every piece of their equipment is just a bit different? All those things generally are true. Part of our customer promise is the ability to customize and tailor solutions to meet their needs. However, there is much to be gained by standardizing as much of our processes as possible. And that doesn’t just apply to the repair shop!

This article looks at a few key areas where standardization will benefit your service center.

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.