Implementing 5S in an injection mold making company
We are professional china injection mold maker, to satisfy our customer’s requirement and improve our service. We should implement 5s in our company. Generally speaking, injection mold makers are not the easiest bunch of skilled craftsmen to guide, especially with something such as 5S. However, now that the economy is so global, and it is not so easy to just pack up your tools and head down the street to a waiting job, this is a great time to initiate a lean program. The days of the rugged individual toolmaker calling his own shots are over. Used to be that a skilled mold maker could pretty much pick how he wanted to do things, and as long as the job was done correctly and on time, everyone was happy. This does not work anymore, for a variety of reasons. Specialization, short lead times, job complexity, and lean manufacturing are the main reasons. 5S fits in perfectly with this new paradigm. Mold making is sort of like controlled anarchy in many ways. If we lived in a perfect world, it would be like a benevolent dictatorship, but we don’t live in a perfect world.
Some immediate benifit of 5s
1) Less clutter-the junk in the corners is gone
2) More open space-the missing junk opens up new space for good use
3) More pleasant atmosphere-the slobs of the shop are held accountable-finally
4) More work gets done-less time roaming around looking for things
5) Potential customers are impressed-it is always impressive to see a well organized, bright shop with activity humming along
6) Everyone knows where everything is-at least they will eventually
7) Everyone feels more connected because everyone is subject to the same rules-favoritism is more difficult to hide
All in all, 5S is one of the easiest lean manufacturing initiatives to implement.
The time spent planning and executing are well worth it and will yield benefits for years to come.
It is not so easy to implement programs such as six-sigma, kaizen, value stream mapping or DHAIC in an injection mold making company. It is also probably not really worth it. VSM can be a great tool though, as it can give you a realistic view of where you actually are business-wise.
If you have some injection mold for making, please feel free to contact me, we will provide you a competitive price with high quality service.