Salute to safety

Any company striving for lean operations has 5S as a mantra. Virtually anyone who has read a manufacturing textbook can trot out the list, though often in completely the wrong order: Sort (Seiri); Set in Order (Seiton); Shine (Seiso); Standardise (Seiketsu) and Sustain (Shitsuke). It's not, however, just about cleanliness. Productivity Europe's Malcolm Jones puts it neatly: "It is about the functional organis ation of the workplace, so that work can be done in an efficient, safe and non-frustrating environment." Some are very happy to use the Japanese terms. It smacks of exclusivity, rather as 'crushed petits pois' sounds better than mushy peas (but tastes exactly the same). Nowadays, however, it is more common for workplaces to recast it in language they feel comfortable using. Thus 'set in order' often appears as 'straighten' and 'shine' can become 'sweep'. I confess to some irritation at the ingenuity devoted to translating the original terms into words starting with S. It works pretty well with 'Safety' - now almost a standard addition to the list. But it's not too helpful when you want to add in other stages - like train, discuss, encourage and praise - that are vital to success but don't conveniently begin with S. 5S was never intended to be this kind of straitjacket (another S). Indeed, used properly, it's often hard to see where the Ss stop and other lean techniques take over. The fundamental building block of 5S is really a frame of mind that underpins all sorts of improvements across the organisation. Mark Colvin of Leanpal gives some examples of its flexibility: "Sort, Set in Place, Shine, and Standardise, for instance, all improve safety by reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls." He says that integrating them into the audit part of Sustain can also reinvigorate tired safety audits. Safety should be the first, not the sixth S. After all, change is not improvement if it adds hazards. Colvin says if you clearly explain the links, people are much more likely to buy into the whole process. No-one ever disagrees with improving safety. To him, 5S dovetails into so much of the lean arsenal. For example, Set in Place helps SMED (changeover time reduction) by making it easier and faster to retrieve tools and parts. And predictive maintenance programmes are likely to be much more successful when cleaning, lubrication and inspection routines become standard operations. Colvin is not immune to some S-mania himself: "Don't let your 5S become Superficial," he requests. "One company I know has posters, 5S maps and great wall signs with coloured plaques to show the status in each area, but it hasn't reviewed progress or audited for months." He accuses another company's management of letting the side down by allowing a large department to opt out of 5S. "That's Standardise out the window then. And I'd add another one - Suspect scores." Real success So let's look at 5, 6 or even 7S at its best, in a site which has used it as an integral part of its lean initiative, totally transforming its workplace. New Balance Athletic Shoes (UK) is part of a US-owned company that produces innovative footwear from its site in Flimby, near Maryport on the west Cumbrian coast. This area has seen far more than its fair share of closures and industrial depression in recent years. Since it started UK manufacturing in 1982, however, New Balance has completely bucked a trend that has seen many of its competitors moving production overseas. The UK factory is a real success story and its parent is openly committed to its future in the area. This raises an interesting point. Many companies force the pace of lean by painting a stark picture of what will happen if they fail - the so-called 'burning platform'. Yet the Flimby site proves that pride can be an even stronger motivator than panic. New Balance moved to its current site in 1991. By 2005, demand was growing rapidly and it developed a five-year business plan aimed at increasing its turnover from £70m to £250m. It meant tripling its output of one million pairs of shoes. We aren't talking about simple, mass-produced items; the UK factory has approximately 50,000 product variants. Many models have 44 separate cut components per pair and there is a high level of customer specification in styling, embroidery, packaging and trim. It demands complex manual assembly, so heavily automating processes - these days increasingly the common solution to faster production - was a non-starter. Expecting to need another factory unit to increase output, New Balance acquired land next to the current site. At the same time, the management team began to look hard at its processes. It could see that such a dramatic hike in productivity could only be achieved by wholesale lean improvement. It called in the Manufacturing Institute (TMI), which provides the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the north-west, for support. In only two years, the figures speak for themselves: throughput is up from 1 million to 1.2 million pairs; output per person per hour has risen from 10 to 13.5 pairs; manufacturing lead time has fallen from an average ten days to five; work in progress is down from 18,000 pairs to 10,000; and floorspace utilisation is up from around 40% to 80%. Because it is achieving more in the same space, the new factory never happened, saving £1.5 million. And the Flimby site can now compete on cost with the Far East on components it has previously sourced, so it may put the spare ground to better use by making them in the UK. Owzat! Improvements came from a wide mix of lean tools and techniques including work balancing, layout changes, single piece flow, workplace organisation, value stream mapping, kanban and lean scheduling. The most remarkable thing of all, however, is that the workforce (respectfully known as 'associates' in New Balance) achieved most of the biggest changes in organisation and standard operating procedures (SOPs) themselves. Their start point was 6S (safety is included here, too). TMI and Flimby's industrial engineer, Kevin Mitchell, introduced the whole workforce to the principles of both lean and 6S in an offsite presentation at the local cinema. Then they worked with volunteers to analyse current practices and develop a new cellular working structure, reducing each cell team from five to four. And, as a necessary adjunct to defining the new layout and balancing and standardising the work within each cell, the pioneers spearheaded an almighty clearout, supported by a 6S champion and auditors appointed from the associates and trained by Mitchell. Both Mitchell and manufacturing manager Andy Okolowicz admit the clearout was overdue. Working areas were so cluttered and choked with WIP that it was often virtually impossible to track specific orders. No-one found the sorting process easy - least of all Okolowicz himself. Often associates would point out it was the machinery causing problems and what did he want to do with it? "And I'd say I want to keep it in case we ever need it. They'd also say you've had that material in store for years and when are you going to use it? One of the hardest things for me, even though the value of the goods wasn't high, was getting rid of it. So we'd red tag it [a handy device for identifying debateable items and establishing their frequency of use] and, sure enough, it meant we threw it." Mitchell recalls that it was often the associates who'd chase it up to make sure it was gone. "They were empowered to put the pressure on to get things changed." The teams systematically collected data in their own cells to determine ways of balancing out the work. They continually trialled new methods and refined them to get the maximum flow. Process steps were moved closer together so work could be passed between them without unnecessary movement. Roller conveyors were introduced for multiple cells to get finished cartons out of the way. And, as part of each iteration, they questioned, tagged, repositioned or discarded all the objects that prevented them moving forward. Mitchell says differences of opinion about layout and positioning were inevitable. Instead of forcing a solution, the teams tried them all, collected the data from each method and shared the information. In most cases, they learned from each but, with the hard information in front of them, it was never too difficult to reach consensus. When the first cell was standardised, it became the template for the rest but, after training, each new team was asked if they could improve it further. "Right the way through, we felt it was important that most of the ideas came from the associates rather than the management. Everyone can add value by coming up with little gems of ideas that really work," adds Mitchell. "And they will do it when they realise you are listening. It's the biggest stepping stone. When you start, you think you know the answer to everything. But you don't. The biggest pool of knowledge you have is on the factory floor." Once the work content had been finalised, SOPs were developed to document every process step. Each cell now carries brief, clear visual information. The role of the 6S champions is critical. They can call in any person right the way up the organisation. Andy Okolowicz says he comes immediately he is called but, otherwise, doesn't ever have to intervene: "The job gets done because they have the power to do it. Empowered is a funny word but it's the right one here. There is a pride in what they do and they know they have full support in their decisions." The teams use stop watches to time themselves, both to maintain SOP and to look for further improvements, but supervisors and managers use only visual measures. Because the teams control it, there is no resentment. "As we get tighter and more slick, we will be talking about tiny increments. So we may want to do more training to break actions down into smaller elements. But I have full faith in the data they collect and what they come up with." Knowledge transfer It's worth pointing out two salient facts. Firstly, throughout a two-year transformation, MAS practitioner Ian Wilson was on site for no more than 40 days. TMI worked extensively with Kevin Mitchell to transfer lean knowledge and to help him develop the training skills to help the associates. But the emphasis has always been on making the company take the lead. "TMI worked to give us the tools and techniques, but to then leave us with the knowledge to take it forward and sustain it," explains Okolowicz. "I am convinced it is right in not doing it for you. It makes sure you understand it properly and comes back periodically to support you and check your progress." Secondly, this approach can only be effective when senior management both respects and trusts its shopfloor. New Balance recently made a very public acknowledgment of its value for its people. To mark the parent company's 100th anniversary, it commissioned award-winning photographer Dean Chalkley - who is more usually found pointing his camera at rock stars like Noel Gallagher - to photograph three of the UK's longest serving employees. And they were carrying the commemorative, limited edition shoes designed specifically with them in mind. The Flimby Heroes, Audrey Stewart, Ian Byers and Victor Dixon, have over 70 years' service between them. Their portraits and signature are on the insole of the shoes, and the swing ticket and packaging honours them and the contribution they have made. It shows there's room for a seventh S - and one we'd all do well to remember. S is for Saluting the people on the shopfloor who make the other six happen.