Companies implementing 5S experience many benefits from implementing the five pillars of 5S, such as increasing product diversity, raising quality, lowering costs, encouraging reliable deliveries, promoting safety, building customer confidence, and promoting corporate growth. Following are key benefits achieved from 5S implementation

Benefit 1. Zero Changeovers Bring Product Diversification: To remain competitive companies must reduce changeover time to zero, increase changeover frequency, and become more adaptive to product diversification. 5S (Five S) can help reduce changeover time by reducing searching time and raising overall operating efficiency.

Benefit 2. Zero Defects Bring Higher Quality: Defects result from many causes, including attaching the wrong parts and using the wrong jig. Sort and Set in Order prevent these kinds of errors. Further, keeping production equipment clean reduces equipment-operation errors and enables faster retooling. These and other effects of 5S implementation all add up to fewer defects.

Benefit 3. Zero Waste Brings Lower Costs: Factories and offices are virtual storehouses of waste. 5S imple­mentation can help eliminate the following types of waste:

  • In-process and warehouse inventory
  • the use of excessive amounts of space for storage
  • stand-by waste while waiting for equipment to transport items
  • searching waste, when necessary items are hard to find
  • motion waste, in side-stepping poorly located equipment and supplies

Benefit 4. Zero Delays Bring Reliable Deliveries: Factories that lack thorough 5S implementation tend to produce defects no matter what they do to prevent them. Deadlines whiz by while everyone is busy reworking defective products. It is difficult to meet delivery deadlines in the face of problems like wasteful motion and too many errors and defects. When these problems are eliminated, deliveries become more reliable

Benefit 5. Zero Injuries: Promote Safety Injuries can be expected when items are left in walkways, when stock is piled high in storage areas, or when equipment is covered with grime, cutting shavings, or oil.

Benefit 6. Zero Breakdowns Bring Better Equipment Availability: When daily maintenance tasks are integrated with daily cleaning tasks, operators notice problems before they cause a breakdown. In this way, equipment is more consistently ready for use. Clean, well-maintained equipment breaks down less frequently and is also easier to diagnose and repair when breakdowns do occur.

Benefit 7. Zero Complaints Bring Greater Confidence and Trust: Factories that practice the five pillars are virtually free of defects and delays. This means they are also free of customer complaints about product quality.

  • Products from a neat and clean workshop are defect-free
  • Products from a neat and clean workshop cost less to make
  • Products from a neat and clean workshop arrive on time
  • Products from a neat and clean workshop are safe.

Benefit 8. Zero Red Ink Brings Corporate Growth: Companies cannot grow without the trust of customers. The five pillars provide a strong base upon which to build customer trust and loyalty. Therefore factories with a solid 5S foundation are more likely to grow