スクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは異なる場合があります。

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5S into Action!

National Institute of Technology, Ube College

ABC: Good morning everyone!

A: We have a question for you. Do you know "5S"?

B: "5S" is a workplace organization method practiced in many companies. It consists of five Japanese words starting with the letter S: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke.

C: Seiri means "sorting out": Eliminate unnecessary things. Seiton means "straightening up": Make things tidy and neat. Seiso means "sweeping": Conduct systematic cleaning.

B: Seiketsu is keeping things "spotless ": Keep the place safe and clean. And the fifth S is shitsuke. It means "sustaining": Set standards to keep the 5S system going.

C: Today, we are here to tell you how important it is for us college students to know about this 5S system, and how we can acquire the 5S management skills in our everyday school life.

A: First of all, let me tell you an eye-opening experience I had when I worked as an intern at a fish processing factory last summer. In this factory, they stop all the machines at 3:00 p.m., and all the workers start their 5S activities. They eliminate unnecessary things.

B: Seiri, sorting out!

A: Put the tools back to the right places.

C: Seiton, straightening up!

A: Take all the machines apart, and wash every single tiny screw.

B: Seiso, sweep and clean everything!

A: What's amazing is that they do all this for three hours until 6:00 p.m. every day!

C: Seiketsu, spotless and clean!

A: As a result, every worker knows where to look for any tool or machine they need. And what's more, thanks to their thorough cleaning, this company has never had a problem of food hygiene since its foundation in 1949.

C: Wow, isn't that great?

A: Yes, and their 5S system is directed and promoted by the factory manager.

C: That is, shitsuke. Their good practice is sustained by the systematic 5S management.

A: The manager told me that 5S is a standard strategy to achieve efficiency as well as ensure quality and safety.

B: In fact, please take a look at this picture. We've found this banner in a hallway at our college. It says, "5S Campaign in Action, Safety First!"

C: Yes, the ability to perform 5S activities successfully is a key competence for us college students, future engineers.

A: Then, the next question is this: "How well are we really performing our 5S activities in school?"

B: To answer this question, we conducted a three-week cleaning check of all the classrooms.ooms.

C: Are the floor and desks free from unnecessary items? Are the desks neatly arranged? Is the floor clean?

B: Here is the result. As you can see, the classrooms of first and second-year students' are kept fairly clean. But those of third, fourth, and fifth-years' are not.

A: Why is that?

C: Well, we asked some fourth-year students why they can't keep their classroom as tidy as before. They said they have so much homework. The other problem, they said, is that some students skip their cleaning duty.

A: I see, the fifth S, shitsuke, isn't working. They can't sustain their cleaning system well. But can we become good engineers if we graduate leaving our classrooms like this?

BC: No!

A: Of course not! So, the last question is this, "How can we sustain the good cleaning practice and graduate as good 5S practitioners?"

C: To find a solution, we interviewed the students and homeroom teachers of the four classes that achieved high scores in our cleaning check. And we've found two clear rules they have in common.mmon.

B: Do the cleaning every day! Follow the standard procedure!

A: That's it? But the problem here is that the rules are often ignored.

B: You're right, but what's great about these classes is that they have good backup strategies to prevent deterioration. Let us explain how they perform and sustain their good way of cleaning.

C: In order to do the cleaning every day, they make it a rule that everyone carries his or her desk and chair to the back of the room right after the day's last class. This way all the members feel they are part of the daily cleaning.

B: Besides, please look at this weekly cleaning schedule. It precisely shows who will do what, like who is to sweep, mop, or carry the desks and chairs. This way, each member of the group knows what to do, and it helps them feel more responsible.

C: As for the procedure, they have a clear standard way of cleaning.

B: First, sweep from the left side to the right. Right after that, start mopping. Now, at the same time, carry the desks and chairs to the front. Then in the back, sweep from the left to right again, mop, and finally, carry the desks and chairs back in straight lines. This way, the cleaning only takes 7 minutes and 30 seconds!

A: Amazing! If they can do it so quickly, they won't skip the cleaning.

C: Right. And one important point we've noticed is that all the four homeroom teachers not only instruct how to do the cleaning, but they actually do it with the students for the first few weeks until they get used to their daily cleaning practice. And once they master the procedure, they can do it automatically every day.

A: I see, in addition to clear rules and standards, we need good coaching and management.

B: That's right. So we'd like to propose all the teachers and classes at Ube College use these successful strategies to keep the 5S cycle going. Then, in five years, we can acquire the basic 5S skills and attitudes.

AC: Yes! Yes!

C: Finally, there's one more thing we'd like to share with you, the words of the manager of the fish processing factory.

A: When I asked him why they were so strict about their 5S practice, he said, "That's only natural. If we keep the 5S system going well, we improve safety and quality. Then I can secure good jobs for my employees. Working with my happy staff to make the people around the world happy with our good products is my happiness."

B: Like he said, we'd like to apply the principles of 5S to our future work, and contribute to the happiness of the world.

AC: So why don't join us and make the 5S system work in your life.