What is 5S?

In my last Lean Six Sigma role, I led a 5S deployment for Ecolab Europe GmbH, a deployment that comprised of 12 plants scattered across Europe. Each plant had its own 5S deployment plan linking to our overall long term 5S strategy. Each of those local 5S plans were broken down into more details, some plants covering all areas under their four walls, some only focusing on one production line or one area.

What is 5S?

In this whiteboard video, I provide an overview of the 5S methodology. Here, I talk about what 5S is, its purpose and the main steps of this process. Hope you find this overview useful. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

I also wrote an article on how and why to use the latest generation strategy execution technology for 5S deployment which you might find useful if you want to take your 5S program to the next level.

About the author

Christian has a significant leadership experience in Strategy Execution having led multiple deployments of operational excellence in organisations such as Bombardier, Transport for London, GMAC, Wolseley and Ecolab in addition to having senior operational roles leading manufacturing facilities.

His background is in industrial engineering, and he has experience with Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizens, 5S, and project management in both transaction services and operational manufacturing environments.

Christian is a certified Master Black Belt, and he started his Lean Six Sigma career as a Black Belt in 1998 for Bombardier Aerospace. He completed his Executive MBA at the University of Nottingham.