ABSTRACT
The 5Ss (Organization, Orderliness, Cleanliness, Standardized Cleanup, and Discipline) promise that factories can be improved without spending much money, so managers find them extremely attractive. Even if they happen to succeed in implementing some sort of 5S program, no value is added to the product, and profits remain stagnant. The chapter discusses a company called Mynac, which succeeded in implementing the 5Ss by reconceiving them as "the creation of well-ordered production lines." The 5S campaign had been conducted simply for the sake of conducting a campaign. When the technique became an end in itself, the 5Ss turned into the Jive Ss. Mynac is a manufacturer of upscale women's apparel located in Nagano prefecture, in the city of Iida, an area of Japan famous for its apple orchards. Mr. Ichinose is from the Nagoya area, with friends at Toyota and its affiliates, and he is familiar with Toyota's production methods.
