Introduction to On-site Improvement

Author: (Japanese) Katsuhiko Katsura
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: This book is divided into 4 chapters and 82 sections. It advocates improving corporate competitiveness through continuous improvement in the workplace, implementing 5S activities, reducing waste, adopting a unique flow production model, and striving to develop human resources, among other management methods... Strive to do well in sorting and organization. The words "sorting" and "organization" are extremely familiar to the Japanese. Many people may have been taught to do so since childhood. A few days ago, when I visited the elementary school where my child attends, I saw "Sorting, Organization" written on the blackboard. It seems that one can consider that this term has permeated all levels of Japanese society. However, this very familiar practice, when carried out as part of factory improvement work, is not done very well. We all had such experiences as children: our mothers told us, "Before playing, first 'sort' the things on the table!" Yet we carelessly shoved everything into the drawer without a second thought. Many people's understanding of sorting and organization stops at this level. However, the sorting and organization we will explain in factories is completely different. We happen to use the same term, but it can be determined that the connotations of these two words are entirely different professional technical terms.
"Even if we work hard on 5S activities, the costs don’t go down."
"On sorting and organization, we’ve put in the effort, but the factory is still messy."
If we understand the difference between professional and ordinary sorting and organization, such things will not happen. For this reason, in Chapter 1, we propose that the key to factory improvement work is 5S activities—the essential principles of "Sorting, Organization, Cleaning, Cleaning, and Discipline"—and let us learn the specific implementation methods of 5S activities together!