5s in the avionics industry |
| Avionics is the science and technology of electronic systems and devices for aeronautics (communications, navigation and interrogation). The avionics industry is global and intensely competitive.A relatively low number of extremely expensive products, consisting of thousands of components, are produced, but it is vital that each product performs exactly to specification first time round and remains reliable for its working life.Only information which is in the public domain, or which has been expressly passed for publication, will be discussed. This is to alleviate concerns for potential breaches of commercial confidentiality and corporate security.
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1.Sort (Seiri) |
| Considers the workplace and separates essential components from non-essential ones. Remove all items which are not required for current production or administration. Start by looking for an obvious driver eg BAE SYSTEMS (Stanmore) adopted 5S as a necessary quality initiative in preparation for a major move from one site to another. Ducommon had a problem with their despatch and receiving yard, which was so congested that it was impeding access by lorries. Labinal had outgrown its manufacturing area, due to unplanned success manufacturing wire harness systems. Example of red-tagging.This means that a red label or card is tied or placed on any item which is no longer needed. The red-tagged pieces of equipment will then be recycled, disposed of or placed in archives. (This example shows a yellow tag, just to be different).
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| This is an area seen before the SORT phase. It is cluttered and untidy. Some attempt has been made to put objects into groups, but there is too much on the desk for efficient work habits or fast information retrieval
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| However, before being too enthusiastic in disposing or archiving equipment, it is necessary to isolate customer-owned items and commercially sensitive documents.Advantages to Sort from the managerial point of view are the apparent immediate increase of available space, with the reassurance that is archived safely.In addition, Sort can lead to a reduction in capital budget. |
2.Set in order/Simplify (Seiton) |
| Concerned with manipulation of the workplace environment.“A place for everything and everything in its place”.
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| This stacking trolley offers the opportunity to redesign the work place so that components, for example, can be brought to the worker, instead of the worker having to walk or stretch for them. Northrop Grumman tackled wasted motion in operators’ work preparation and movement on the B-2.The aircraft was divided into five sections and one team looked after each section.By making the teams responsible for preparing their kits, instead of having to walk to various parts to collect them, this both saved their efforts and reduced wasted time and also increased their team empowerment. Labinal let employees work together to map the processes needed to add value to a product line which would operate in their new expanded plant at Pryor Creek.They were encouraged to design their work stations into manufacturing cells and to discuss a layout which would reduce both work in progress and lead time. By doing this aspect of 5S in conjunction with cellular flow manufacturing, Labinal were able to raise productivity by 336%,reduce product cycle time by 11% and decrease inventory by 82% . |
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| Redesign is not the only way that the work place environment can be adapted for employees’ convenience, however. Product flow can be improved, for example, by using counter-balance systems for hand tools, which can then be pulled down for use. Set in order is not confined to the manufacturing area.All set-up books and programmes should be labelled and stored correctly Computer file systems should be easy to navigate. BAE SYSTEMS (Warton) used 5S “set in order” to label directories by file owner and delete unwanted or duplicate files, after reorganising the directory hierarchy. Set in order can also be used to eliminate duplicate or obsolete documentation.BAE SYSTEMS (Edinburgh) used the 5S initiative to centralise all useful files, and combined with with increased use of electronic reference Visual controls are part of set in order.“Tiger” lines (yellow and black striped tape) can be used to indicate suitable parking for equipment. Rubbish stations can be colour coded to indicate the level of security of waste or the type of rubbish. This example from Messier-Dowty shows that different projects are colour coded and tied in with a 5S notice board showing a 5S success story, plus the 5S vision statement above (“doing it gladly is a matter of attitude”).
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3.Shine/Sweep (Seiso) |
| “Shine” is often compared to daily baths or showers, necessary to remove dirt and sweat from people. Working in a clean environment will help to motivate employees as well as saving time.A dirty, messy, unsafe working environment will lower morale eg difficulty reading computer screens or oil leaks.
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| Unfair to focus on “shine” alone and expect an immediate focus on the bottom line eg a clean desk, for example, will not give results unless it is accompanied with some system of knowing where to find the desired information |
4.Standardising(Seiketsu) |
| Perhaps one of the most difficult of the 5S elements, but also one of the most wide ranging - to consolidate the first three of the 5Ss by establishing standard procedures. This may involve a huge range of techniques egroot cause analysis to prevent errors reoccurring or use of benchmarking to establish best practice.Northrop Grumman technicians realised that they were performing the same operation on their aircraft projects in slightly different ways: after observation of their work and discussion on the best practices, both the work and the work instructions were redesigned and standardised.To check the improvement tangibly, metrics were taken on the amount of rework hours and the decreased rework as a percentage of the total actual hours, giving an ultimate decrease of 52%.This was accompanied by a decrease in overtime hours of 48%, which shows that this part of 5S had a measurable impact on the variation in through put time and on production cost
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| Visual management is an important part of standardisation, as clear signs will save human and time resources and hopefully also make the job easier and more rewarding.
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5.Sustain (Shitsuke) |
| Demonstrates the balance between management support and employee compliance, which accompanies any successful quality initiative Use of the radar chart can show progress of the initiative and it can be used to monitor work place standards: This can be combined with the use of checklists. Opportunities for best practice may be identified and carried over to other departments.
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| The main thing is to keep the initiative alive – lead by example, be pro-active and remember that everyone is responsible, especially the managers. Making a habit of using correct procedures is not incredibly complicated, but will help to make the work place a pleasant and welcoming place to be. This will benefit everyone. Acknowledgements: This material comes from BAE SYSTEMS, Messier-Dowty, Northrop Grumman, Labinal, Ducommon Aerostructures and Precision Machine Works, all of whom were very helpful in providing help and assistance. |
Suggested ReadingThe Lean Toolbox 2nd edition, PICSIE Books, 2000, ISBN 0 9513 829
9 3 by John Bicheno http://www.axiom.co.uk/picsie
Jenny Glover, March 2004 |
