Change can be hard. For companies switching over to a 5S and Lean management style, it can be a tough transition at first. Our Online 5S Game has been a hit with companies looking for a great ice-breaker at team meetings and for introducing 5S practices to new departments and teams.
Companies world-wide are implementing changes to increase productivity and compete in an always evolving marketplace. Not only do businesses have to constantly find ways to be innovative and more efficient, but employees have to be flexible and ready to take on new practices and implement new strategies. This game offers a visual aid in describing the basics of 5S and employees can see illustrations of why the protocols offer value that lead to safety and productivity. As advocates of a visual workplace, we think the online game is a great component to our already valuable inventory of products that help companies with tools and resources for going Lean or using 5S practices.
This video game produced and designed by Bashbat Studios for InSite Solutions, is a great way to show employees the overall themes of 5S organization and show them – in bits and pixels – how the 5S method can make them more productive and efficient.
Players use their computer keyboard to move boxes into organized holding areas, clean up non-needed items from the plant floor and learn first-hand how much safer it is for employees when a floor is better organized. The game is free to play/use and is available here.
The practice of 5S traces its origins back to Japan. The 5S methodology has come out of a study of the techniques studied in Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and from the Toyota Production System (TPS). The U.S. (and the rest of the world) learned of these production practices as the phenomenon of Asian car manufacturing was unveiled to the world in the 1980s, with the rise of Toyota.
5S is based on five principles, all Japanese words starting with the the letter “s”. While it’s important to explain these five principles to employees, starting out your introduction of the 5S theory to workers in Japanese can be a little intimidating. We think breaking the ice with a fun game, that also teaches them the foundation for 5S, is better than an early-morning Japanese language lesson.
The game is free to use and can be found here. We keep track of high scores, so make sure your gaming name has the name of your company too – if you want bragging rights. While playing the game, there’s a “teacher” who throws out 5S organization tips as you’re moving through the tasks. We’ve tested it out and think it’s pretty fun and educational.
Looking for more information about 5S and Lean? We’ve got a lot of advice and information on Lean and 5S in our Resource Center.
