A lot of printers ask me about efficiencies - what do I have to do to implement the latest technologies and reduce my times from getting a job to shipping a job? Sound like a loaded question – you bet! There must be hundreds of ways that every single print shop could spend time, money and effort on cutting costs and increasing throughput.

One thing I inevitably point to is the tried and true method in place throughout the world in many industries. The 5S. The 5S was invented in Japan and the 5S’ are: Seiri (Organization), Seiton (Neatness), Seiso (Cleaning), Seiketsu (Standardization) and Shitsuke (Discipline). These have often been translated to: Sorting, Simplifying, Systematic Cleaning, Standardizing and Sustaining here in North America.

The beauty of this system is its simplicity. You can implement as much or as little as you like – but my experience is that trying to only do a little cleanup around the plant does not change bad habits. One really needs to have a change in mentality to get the best results, and implementing a good 5S program should cost almost no money whatsoever. Most plants find that by standardizing stocks, getting rid of obsolete items, etc. storage is freed up. Often times, you don’t even need to buy new shelving!

As for cost savings through efficiencies, consider this: 10 employees spending one minute per hour looking for things at $30 hour cost = $10,400 per year. I think we could all save one minute per hour somewhere! There are also savings and improvements to be realized through safety and enhanced attitudes.

I have seen quite a number of examples, good and bad, in the many print shops I am fortunate enough to visit, and I try to keep an eye out for ideas and cost effective tricks (often employee created) to increase efficiencies. Places that have stock sorted on racks high to the ceiling, rather than piles on the floor, job-naming systems that make sense – with easy file naming structures for finding things on the computer.

How many of us have been to an automotive repair shop that looks like a junkyard and wondered: “How in the world can they find anything?” Probably, just as often as we have been to top-notch grocery stores, where everything is clean, sorted, organized – you can find everything you need without thinking too hard.

There is an absolute ton of information on the internet on the subject and many experts and consultants to rely upon, but in my book, Simplification is key.

Let me finish with this quotation from Hiroyuki Hirano, author of 5S: Five Pillars of the Visual Workplace. “A company that cannot successfully implement the 5S cannot expect to effectively integrate JIT, re-engineering, or any other large-scale change. Good workplaces develop beginning with the 5S. Bad workplaces fall apart beginning with the 5S.”