5S is the discipline of organising a workspace so that the right tool, part, or information is always in the right place at the right time. Boring, and utterly foundational.
The five S's
- Sort (Seiri): remove everything that isn't needed for current work.
- Set in Order (Seiton): a place for everything, everything in its place. Frequently used items closest to the point of use.
- Shine (Seiso): clean the workspace daily. Cleanliness makes abnormalities visible.
- Standardise (Seiketsu): document the layout so anyone can see when it drifts.
- Sustain (Shitsuke): audit regularly. Without this, 5S evaporates in weeks.
Why it matters for VSM
Most Motion waste (reaching, walking, searching) is 5S waste. Before you try to eliminate a Motion problem with clever engineering, do 5S first. It's almost always cheaper and often eliminates the problem entirely.