5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace (For Your Organization!) (Hardcover)

by Hiroyuki Hirano (Author) "Factories are living organisms..." (more)
Key Phrases: signboard strategy, attaching red tags, production division chief, Standardized Cleanup, Clerical Department, Equipment Equipment (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"5 Pillars of the Visual Workplaceis both a groundbreaking book on continuous improvement and a handy guide to the details of creating a superior workplace. Diligently applied, the 5Ss will decrease expenses and boost productivity."
— Jeff Olson, Editor, Soundview Executive Book Summaries June, 2004
… an excellent book for beginning polymer chemistry courses. Designed for an undergraduate audience, it is a very clear treatment of large molecule science. Polymer naming is discussed immediately, and there is an appropriate appendix to clarify the many acronyms used in discussing polymers. … Each chapter has exercises to help with understanding and a group of suggested supplemental readings for more in-depth information. Summing up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division; graduate students; two year technical program students.
— M. P. Hanson, emeritus, Augustana College, SD, in Choice, Vol. 44, No. 10, June 2007

Product Description
In this important sourcebook, JIT expert Hiroyuki Hirano provides the most vital information available on the visual workplace. He describes the 5S's: in Japanese they are seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke (which translate as organization, orderliness, cleanliness, standardized cleanup, and discipline). Hirano discusses how the 5S theory fosters efficiency, maintenance, and continuous improvement in all areas of the company, from the plant floor to the sales office. This book includes numerous case studies, hundreds of graphic illustrations, and over forty 5S user forms and training materials.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Productivity Press; 1 edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563270471
• ISBN-13: 978-1563270475
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,891 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 5S's (Pillars) really work!, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

The 5 Pillars described in this book are the 5S's derived from the Toyota Production System. Are: Organization, Orderliness, Cleanliness, Organized Cleanup and Discipline. The 5S's help lay a solid foundation for the implementation of the Just in Time system in any plant.

The book talks about a step by step procedure for implementing this productivity improvement tool in any organization. This tool is highly effective in something as simple as an office area to something as complex as a Nuclear power plant. We realized an improvement of 11% in productivity at our manufacturing facility and has helped us increase the morale of the workers substantially.

The chapters could have been put in a better order as one needs to jump from one chapter to the other for simple references. It covers all the details in depth, but is not put in the best possible manner.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable and practical book, December 4, 2005

By	E. Husman "ehusman" (Las Cruces, NM USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I checked this out from the library and read it in one day (I didn't do anything else all day, and I'm a fast reader). Hirano's style is very educational: he resorts to humor, he states his biases clearly, he details step-by-step instructions, he warns about pitfalls, he gives his own insight on overcoming those pitfalls. He walks the walk: the only photo of him in the book is of him cleaning the floor in a factory.

For anyone already familiar with Lean Principles, the focus of this book is 5S, of which the English translation is approximately Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain. However, Hirano never or rarely uses those, preferring instead to use more accurate (but less alliterative) words like, Organization, Orderliness, Cleanliness, Standardized Cleanup, and Discipline. He explains strategies for starting and for sustaining these "pillars", such as a ruthless red-tag campaign to initiate organization, signboards to maintain orderliness, and 5S patrols to maintain cleanliness and to improve on what already exists. He includes sample forms and kick-off campaign letters.

Best of all, this book shows how 5S is the basis for all other Lean Principles, such as reducing muda and improving throughput. A fantastic resource that I know I will be using over and over.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Pillars Rocks, April 20, 2007

By	Rodney Robbins (Carolina) - See all my reviews

As a quality and safety manager for more than 15 years, I STILL found this book to be wonderfully useful. A clean, well structured and smooth functioning work environment MUST be at the basis for quality and productivity. The text is well organized and presented with clearn B&W photos, flow charts and sample forms. Hirano also includes plenty of funny, true life stories to keep the book interesting. Highly recommended.