Seiri - Step One in Five S

The Five S program focuses on establishing visual order, organization, cleanliness and standardization. The results you can expect from a Five S program are: improved profitability, efficiency, service and safety.

The first step in a Five S program is seiri. The equivalent English word that starts with the letter “S” is sort. The literal definition of “seiri” is organization. It refers to organizing work areas such that only necessary things are in the work area.

This first step in 5S involves sorting through everything in each work area and keeping only what is necessary. Materials, tools, equipment and supplies that are not frequently used should be moved to a separate, common storage area. Items that are not used should be discarded.

Don't keep things around just because they might be used, someday. If there are obsolete fixtures, molds, jigs, scrap material, waste and other unused items and materials in the work area, get rid of them.

The objective of seiri is to make it easier to find the things you need and to free up additional space in the work area.

During the sorting process you’ll also be cleaning up. This may reveal broken equipment and tools. These should be repaired or replaced as a part of this step in the 5S process. Clean up and repair any oil leaks. Repaint color-coded components, tools and equipment. Clean and paint floors to make it easier to spot dirt, waste materials and dropped parts and tools. Remove old conduit, piping, tubing, mounting brackets and other remnants of equipment and systems that no longer exist.

The end result of step one in 5S is a cleaned up work area that only has the equipment, tools and supplies necessary to get the job done—and everything is in proper working order.