Toyota Way Fieldbook : A Practical Guide for Implementing Toyota's 4Ps

Consolidate Waste Activities to Capture Benefits

This strategy is often overlooked because of misguided beliefs. One such belief
is that individual efficiencies can be maximized if each person works independ-
ently. In this way the problems encountered by one operation do not negative-
ly influence others. As we will see in the next chapter, this philosophy will allow
problems to be minimized, which makes the urgency to correct them also min-
imal. In addition this thinking allows for isolated waste activities that are
absorbed by each person. Each operation then carries a high waste burden, and
in many cases the waste is identical to wasteful procedures required at other
operations.

Chapter 4. Create Initial Process Stability 65

Sort

Clear out rarely used items

by red tagging

Standardize

Create procedures to

maintain the first 3 S’s

Straighten

Organize and label a place

for everything

Shine

Clean it

Sustain

Use regular audits

to stay disciplined

Eliminate

Waste

Figure 4-2. The 5S process