The head of any enterprise, regardless of the field of activity, dreams that profit grows, and production costs remain unchanged. The “5C” system in production (in the English version of 5S) helps to achieve this result, based only on the rational use of internal reserves.
This system was not created from scratch. At the end of the 19th century, something similar was proposed by the American Frederick Taylor. In Russia, a scientist, revolutionary, philosopher and ideologist A.A. Bogdanov, published in 1911 a book on the principles of scientific management. On the basis of the provisions set forth in it, in the USSR, NOTs were introduced, that is, the scientific organization of labor. But the most perfect was the Japanese engineer Tahiti Ono and the 5C system introduced by him at the Toyota Motor plant in production. What is it and why has the Japanese system become so popular?
The fact is that it is based on a simple principle that does not require costs. It consists in the following - every employee, from a cleaning lady to a director, should optimize as much as possible her part in the overall work process. This leads to an increase in the profit of production as a whole and to an increase in the income of all its employees. Now the baton of implementation of the "5C" system has been picked up by enterprises all over the world, including Russia. In this article, we will try to convince skeptics that Japanese know-how really works, and in absolutely any field of activity.
System "5C" in production, what is it
International 5S stands for five steps ("step" in English step). Some economists and propagandists of a new attitude to work explain the name with five Japanese postulates sequentially introduced in the 5S system: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and sitsuke. For us, closer and clearer are our native “5C” - five consecutive steps that must be completed in order to achieve the prosperity of our production. It:
1. Sort.
2. Compliance with the order.
3. Keep clean.
4. Standardization.
5. Improvement.
As you can see, the 5C system does not require anything supernatural in production. Perhaps this is why so far you can find distrust and a frivolous attitude towards her.
Stages of creating a system
The wise Japanese Tayichi Ono, who, thanks to the introduction of his methods at the Toyota production plant, managed to rise from engineer to CEO, noticed how many losses are due to various inconsistencies and overlaps. For example, some small cogs were not delivered on time to the conveyor, and as a result, all production got up. Or vice versa, the parts were delivered with a margin, they turned out to be superfluous, and as a result, one of the employees had to take them back to the warehouse, which means that they waste their time on empty work. Taiichi Ono developed the concept, which he called "just in time." That is, exactly as many parts as needed were now delivered to the conveyor.
Other examples can be given. The "5C" system in production also included the concept of "kanban", which in Japanese means "advertising sign". Taiichi Ono suggested that for every part or every tool, a so-called “kanban” tag should be attached, in which all the necessary information on the part or tool was given. Basically, it applies to anything. For example, to goods, medicines, folders in the office. The third concept, on which the 5C system is based on production, was the concept of kaizen, which means continuous improvement. Other concepts were invented that were suitable only for highly specialized production processes. In this article we will not consider them. As a result of all the innovations tested in practice, 5 steps were applied that apply to any production. We will analyze them in detail.
Sorting
Many of us on our desktops accumulate objects that, in principle, are not needed. For example, old forms, unused files, draft calculations, a napkin on which stood a cup of coffee. And in the midst of this chaos may be the necessary files or documents. The basic principles of the "5C" system mean optimizing your workflow, that is, make sure that you do not waste time searching for the right things among the rubble of unnecessary. This is sorting. That is, at the workplace (near the machine, on the table, in the workshop - anywhere), all objects are laid out in two piles - the necessary and the unnecessary, which must be disposed of. Further, everything necessary is decomposed into the following piles: “used frequently and constantly”, “rarely used”, “almost never used”. This completes the sorting.
Keeping order
If you just make out the objects, there will be no sense. It is necessary to arrange these objects (tools, documents) in such a way that the used constantly and often appears in sight or so that it can be quickly taken and easily put back. What is rarely used can be sent somewhere in the box, but you need to attach the "kanban" tag to it so that after a while you can easily and accurately find it. As you can see, the 5C system at the workplace begins with the simplest steps, but in reality it turns out to be very effective. And besides, it improves mood and desire to work.
Keep clean
This third step is for many the most logical. We are taught to keep clean from childhood. At the factory, it is also necessary, moreover, not only office workers' desks or cabinets in catering establishments should be clean, but also machines, utility rooms for cleaners. In Japan, employees take care of their jobs, they are cleaned three times a day — in the morning before work, at lunchtime and in the evening, at the end of the working day. In addition, they have introduced at their enterprises special marking of plots that allow them to keep order in production, that is, plots of finished products, warehousing of certain parts and so on are marked with different colors.
Standardization
The principles of standardization were invented by Taiichi Ono. Widely uses them and the modern 5S system. Production management, thanks to standardization, receives a wonderful tool for monitoring all processes. As a result, the reasons behind the schedule are quickly eliminated and errors leading to the release of low-quality products are corrected. At Toyota Motor Plant, the standardization looked like this: craftsmen drew up daily work plans, exact instructions were posted at workplaces, at the end of working days, special workers checked which deviations from the plan occurred during the day and why. This is the basic rule of standardization, that is, precise instructions, work plans and monitoring their implementation. Now many enterprises, for example, at ENSTO factories in Estonia, are introducing a bonus system of workers who clearly comply with the provisions of the 5C system and on the basis of this increase their productivity, which is an excellent incentive to accept this system as a way of life.
Improvement
The fifth step, which completes the 5C system in production, is based on the concept of kaizen. It means that all employees, regardless of their position, should strive to improve the process of work in the area entrusted to them. The philosophical essence of kaizen is that our whole life is getting better every day, and since work is part of life, it also should not be left out of improvements.
The field of activity here is wide, because there are no limits to perfection. According to the concepts of the Japanese, workers themselves should want to improve their production process, without instructions and coercion. Now many organizations are creating teams of workers who monitor the quality of products, teach others their positive experience and help to achieve excellence.
Main mistakes
For the 5C system to start working, it’s not enough to organize it or to hire employees who will force their colleagues to implement it. It is important that people recognize the usefulness of this innovation and accept it as a lifestyle. The introduction of the 5C system in Russia in production is facing difficulties precisely because our Russian mentality is different from the Japanese one. Many of our industries are characterized by the following:
1. Employees, especially if there are no incentive incentives for them, do not seek to increase the profits of the enterprise. They ask why try to make the boss even richer, if he already has everything.
2. The leaders themselves are not interested in introducing the 5C system, because they do not see any reason for it.
3. Many directives, "pulled down from above," are used to execute only for a "tick". In Japan, a completely different attitude towards their work is observed. For example, the same Taiichi Ono, introducing the 5C system, was not thinking about personal gain, but about the benefit of a company in which he was just an engineer.
4. At many enterprises, the 5C system is being forcibly introduced. Lean manufacturing, which implies elimination of losses of all kinds (working time, raw materials, good workers, motivation and other indicators), does not work, as workers begin to subconsciously resist innovation, which ultimately reduces all efforts to zero.
5. The leaders implementing the system do not fully understand its essence, which is why disruptions in established production processes arise.
6. Standardization often develops into a bureaucracy; good work is surrounded by instructions and directives that only interfere with work.
Reviews
The Russians, who have introduced the 5C system at the factory, leave very mixed reviews about this innovation. Noted advantages:
- more pleasant to be in the workplace;
- unnecessary little things do not distract from work;
- the workflow is going on more clearly;
- tiredness at the end of the shift decreased;
- salary increased slightly due to increased labor productivity;
- industrial injuries decreased.
Marked Cons:
- when sorting, they force them to throw everything away;
- standardization has led to an increase in bureaucracy;
- the introduction of the 5C system did not exacerbate the problems in all areas of the enterprise;
- placing the 5C system in the first place has pushed into the background such important issues as the lack of spare parts.