5S Report for MAT354

Reclaiming wasted space and resources to save money, time and effort!

What is 5S?

5S stands for SORT, STRAIGHTEN, SHINE, STANDARDIZE and SUSTAIN.

5S is one technique used in LEAN, which is a major initiative of our Organizational Effectiveness Program.

5S is a process developed in Japan for creating an efficient workflow by reducing waste in the placement and movement of materials, information, equipment, and people.

The 5 S Model

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What was the problem in MAT354?

Four years ago, the storage cabinets in the filing and conference area were moved so a repair could be made, but the cabinets were never replaced after the repair was completed.

Instead this space became a storage wasteland with an odd and growing collection of unused items. It was unsightly and embarrassing to meet with community groups here.

MAT 354 needed help.

Junk was collecting atop cabinets and in corners. It was like meeting in a storage unit.

“It costs $1700??!!”

In addition, HR Director Trish Fiacchi recently discovered she was in need of more filing space. A new cabinet would cost $1700. With tight resources, this money could be saved or spent in many other ways.

So we set out to reclaim resources that were being wasted and to use our space more effectively by doing a 5S process…

The MAT 354 Challenge

• Clean out the file and storage areas.

• Shred old records when appropriate or send to records retention.

• Eliminate junk.

• Recycle when possible.

• Put valuable materials to good use.

• Reorganize furniture and cabinets to optimize the conference area.

• Free up a cabinet for Trish and save $1700.

DURING 5S in MAT 354

Iris and Trish attack the stack!

A Finance TEAM Effort: Jennifer, Mia, Danelle, Jan,

and Rebecca sort it out!

DURING 5S in MAT 354

Some of this stuff’s REALLY OLD!

Making it fun: Prizes for oldest and strangest items.

Jennifer Burley found the weirdest item: A 1993 fax-modem!

Also found: A Smith Corona typewriter and some finance gadget that looked like an old hairdryer.

Oldest Item Found by Rebecca Fountain: A 1990 Records Retention Schedule!This also won the Most Ironic prize!

Iris , Renee and Trish fend off attacks from some of the weirder items!

DURING 5S in MAT 354

19 boxes were sent to confidential shredding.

Strange, unused items found new campus homes or were recycled.

The Results: MAT 354 AFTER 5S!!!!

Spic and Span!Cabinets moved to eliminate the “wasteland” and optimize space.Files cleared out to free up storage.A file cabinet was freed up for Trish saving the campus $1700!!

The area is now much more usable and ready for guests and meetings.

Thanks to the MAT 354 5S TEAM!

Sponsor: Ysabel Trinidad, VC of Admin Services

Team Members:

HR: Iris Marx, Trish Fiacchi, Renee Smith Nyberg

Finance: Jan Rutledge, Danelle Dauron, Mia Limbrick, Jennifer Burley, Rebecca Fountain.

Thanks to Tessa, Robert, and Milt in Facilities and Keith in the Copy Center for support!