On May 27-29, 2009, thanks to a grant from the State of North Carolina, Piedmont Fiberglass was the recipient of a workplace organization training event facilitated by David Beard of Catawba Valley Community College. During this training, we learned the 5S’s of workplace organization and flow, which are:

  • S1: Sort - Keep only what is needed in your area
  • S2: Set in Order - A place for everything and everything in its place
  • S3: Shine - Clean up the workplace
  • S4: Standardize - Develop a system (rules) to maintain what has been done
  • S5: Sustain - Self discipline to maintain established procedures

For this event, we concentrated on the Finishing Department which assembles, does body work, sprays gel coat and polishes to produce the final product of steeples, baptistries, slides and other large components. During this 3 day event, 9,000 square feet of our plant was reorganized. The objective of this training was to understand how 5S works by creating a model work area (Finishing, in our case) and improve productivity and efficiency by improving the organization of the workplace and the flow of the product.

Observations and Opportunities

The following observations were made in our existing system, creating opportunities for improvement!

  1. Flow was counter-productive
  2. Too much staging
  3. Aisles were obstructed
  4. There were unnecessary items in the work area
  5. Aisles are too narrow
  6. Many opportunities for visual controls to be added
  7. SAFETY: Extension cord on wall
  8. SAFETY: Fire extinguisher locations should be more visible

S1: Sort

The first order of business was to sort. Unnecessary items were removed from the workplace.

S2: Set in Order

We created boundary and flow lines throughout the work area, and improved those that were faded and worn. More than 800′ of lines were painted. We also created labels or visual controls on as many items as possible, creating clarity about what things are, and where they belong.

Workplace Organization: Overstock

Before the 5S Event, excessive inventory was prevalent. In the case of the most used sanding disk, 30 sheets were needed; but more than 300 sheets were routinely found in the target area.

In terms of cost, $13 of inventory was needed; $120 was on the floor. Excess inventory was removed and returned to stores.

Workplace Organization: Tools

Tools were sorted into Job-Specific tool carts. These were color-coded by Department (Blue) and Work Station (Yellow, Red). Then shadow boards were created, and labeled. This resulted in reducing the tool inventory in the department by 2/3.

Safety

Before the event, electrical extension cords were strung the length of the work area. This created a potential safety hazard. By changing the product and work flow, the risk was eliminated. The work area requiring access to electrical power was greatly reduced.

Workplace Organization: Flow

Before the 5S Event, the Finishing Department work area was congested, and the layout worked against the product flow. The new layout corrected flow and removed the congestion. Tools and materials were also moved closer to the Point of Use (POU).

The product flow was counterproductive. Start-to-Finish work stations were set up, and staged product blocked any flow. During the event, the team brainstormed ideas to improve the flow. The layout was changed to create flow lanes for different product families. The work was rotated 90 degrees to make the flow linear. 3 different process work stations were set up.

S3: Shine

As part of S3 - Shine, the work area was cleared and swept. Old outdated lines were scraped and sanded off the floor.

S4: Standardize

For S4, Standardize, the challenge was to create a system whereby we can maintain the improvements made. A Job Cycle Chart was created to make clear what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. From this, job assignments were made. A Data Board displays who does what, creating visibility and accountability for each task.

Audits - As we learned and made improvements, audits were done in teams each day, then averaged together to create overall scores:

  • Day 1: 1.59
  • Day 2: 2.33
  • Day 3: 3.62

Results

The following improvements were made in the Finishing Department as a result of this event:

  • Improved 5S Rating: From 1.59 to 3.62
  • Workplace cleaned and organized.
  • 9,000 square feet cleaned and organized.
  • More than 800’ of lines painted on the floor
  • Standards and procedures put in place to maintain results.
  • Safety; Aisles clear; Flow lanes created, extension cords eliminated; Fire Extinguishers more visible.
  • Productivity/Flow improved
  • Flow lanes identified and marked
  • More than 267 Material/Tool locations identified and labeled

“We thought that we were organized and efficient before this event. Now we are better organized, safer, and have a much higher level of efficiency.” - Terry Davis, Plant Manager

“It is exciting to see the improvements that we have made in our entire process. We are grateful to Catawba Valley Community College for providing this training for us.” - Douglas Caudle, President

S5: Sustain

Our challenge going forward is to sustain what we have achieved and apply what we have learned to our other departments as well.

Workplace Organization Team

Back L-R: Terry Davis, Lee Davis, Jason Morgan, Douglas Caudle, David Beard
Front L-R: Randall Mayberry, John Eakes, and Steven Bowman.