Best Idea Session: "5S"

We just facilitated our Fall 2011 Midwest Manufacturing Alliance meeting last week. I in St. Louis, Missouri. It was a good use of time, and our members all appreciate our meeting format and the quality of their fellow members.

One of the sessions we facilitate is called “Best Ideas.” BOI members have really come to appreciate it because it encourages meeting take-aways that produce tangible ROI. We ask that members report anything that has had a positive (preferably measured) impact on sales, operational efficiencies, marketing, etc. One of our members explained to the group that they had implemented the 5S program at their plant. 5S stands for Sorting, Straightening, Sweeping (cleaning), Standardizing, Safety. This is a well-known manufacturing program but it is not commonly practiced because of the difficulty to stay consistent. This member found that the ROI is far greater than the time invested. The primary results are, of course, a cleaner, more organized, and safer plant. The performance results are that the process naturally encourages employees to come up with new ideas to run leaner and more efficiently. It also empowers employees by making them proud of their work stations and instills an “ownership mentality.” As a matter of fact, since implementing 5S, this BOI member has seen an average of 1.5 new performance improving ideas per week from his employees. The group benefits because they don’t have to work the program from scratch or spend money hiring a 5S consultant. They can visit this member already advanced in 5S and learn the program first-hand from a fellow Manufacturing CEO they already know and trust.

Do you have a non-competing, same-industry peer who you can turn to when you need help implementing a new idea or business practice? Each of BOI's industry peer groups are built to allow members to do just that - talk freely with one another, without the risk of losing business to competition - - because all of our groups are made up of professionals who do not compete with one another.