Have American Manufacturing Companies Lost Their Way?

Have American manufacturing companies lost their way? Have we bowed so far down to the way Japan operates their companies that we cannot think on our own anymore? It seems that the new management style in America is based totally on the Japanese way of doing business .

One of the "new ways" of handling business culture is called 5S. Most of you that are reading this already know what 5S is all about, but for those of you that don't here it is in a nutshell;

1. Sort - sort through, sort out
2. Set - limits, locations
3. Shine - the workplace/environment
4. Standardize - information & methods
5. Sustain - stick to the rules

The first one says we need to "Sort" our workplace. In general that means to sort through items, place them in their proper place and if they are not needed remove the items. Easy enough for anyone to understand and complete.

The second one has us "Set" items in their proper place. This means we should organize items in our workplace and label areas where items should be placed. Another easy concept and one I believe most of us already use, but then again maybe not.

Now number three is an easy one to understand. This means to keep your area clean and make it "Shine." Your area should be spotless and areas that are not this way should be identified and fixed.

The fourth one gets a little bit more involved. When we "Standardize" we have to set up checklists and audit systems to maintain expectations. Employees should be trained on standards and adhere to them. Standards, checklists and expectations should be posted for all to see.

The last step is "Sustain." This just tells us to make sure we stick to the first four items.

Is this for real? Do adult workers really need this to do their jobs? Do we really need someone to come around to make sure we keep our work areas clean?

All right, I think these are fair items to require of employees when they are at work, but I think we have taken some of this a bit far. Most of us do these common sense items on a daily basis when we are at work and at home.

When at home we all know we have to organize things and sort them out or we run the risk of loosing items or just having too messy of a house. We know to put the forks in the section for forks and the spoons where the spoons go. Do we really need labels to tell us where they go? I know of some companies that are doing just that.

Some companies are going around with label makers and marking where the creamer, coffee pot, spoons, napkins, staplers, etc. should be placed. Have we regressed ourselves back to preschool? Do managers truly feel this will help produce products in a more efficient and better manner?

There are even some companies that are going as far as hiring people to audit 5S standards. They actual have a person come around to make sure the sink is clean and the spoons and forks are in their proper place. It amazes me that in this harsh economy, we are hiring people to audit how areas "shine".

I've even heard of companies having 5S Day's. During 5S Day all work activities are shut down so employees can clean and organize their areas. An entire day of pay is put aside just for this.

It is hard to be motivated when you are being told, as an adult, that your work area needs cleaned and organized. The beauty of being an individual is just that, we are individual in the way we work, act, behave, organize and plan. Common sense says if you do not perform things properly and it affects work output that your job will be in jeopardy or one will get a bad review.

We seem to be so hell bent on standards and making our work environment a "perfect little utopia" that we have lost sight of the real way of manufacturing quality parts. America needs to find it's way back to being "American" with hard work and our own innovative ideas. Management in America needs to step out of their meetings and plush offices, step out onto the factory floors, and see where the real work is produced and created.

Until this happens, we will continue to slide downward as the innovative, leader of the world. On a good note, we will all have clean work areas with labels to help us through our day.