SEPTEMBER 2019
www.the5sstore.com 978-842-4610
FIX THE ROOF!
GETTING YOUR TEAM TO YES, WITH 5S
Imagine yourself in THIS situation:
You’re part of a team of folks who rehab mobile construction site trailers. You’re a hard worker and put your all into getting the job done. One day, your manager tells you that you’ll be implementing a process improvement initiative called “lean.” Eventually, some so-called expert comes to talk to you about how something called 5S is going to make everything work better and more efficiently. What about the roof, you wonder? Is 5S going to do anything to fix our leaky, unsafe roof? Why are we spending time and money on this when we don’t have a functional roof? Several years ago, this was the situation I walked into. I was the 5S expert brought in to train a team about how much lean implementation was going to change their workplace. Right off the bat, it was clear that this group of engineers, construction folks, and carpenters worked their butts off to get the job done. From the get-go, they were pretty skeptical about 5S and how much it was really going to improve their workplace. With lots of raised eyebrows and suspicious looks, this team wasn’t buying into the 5S hype. While they saw the potential benefits of 5S, I finally understood their hesitation to it.
other glaring issues that haven’t been addressed. Give your people a big victory and get them on your side. I’ve seen it happen at other facilities and offices. Another place had a busted air conditioning unit barely functioning in a very hot environment. This had been an ongoing issue for nearly a year. I told the GM that it needed to get fixed if they wanted to see anything else improved. You can’t expect your team to be committed to improvement unless you hold yourself accountable to do the same. You must show them that you want to make changes and give them proof. Until you do, you can’t expect them to give a damn about a
For years, the workers had wanted and needed the roof fixed. It was visibly frustrating the team, and the owner continually put off fixing it. This created an “us” vs. “them” mentality that became a huge point of contention. Until this was addressed, there was no way the team was going to buy into 5S, much less any other new initiative. I sat down with the owner of the company and explained what I saw. “There is nothing more you can do to get them on board until the roof is fixed,” I explained. “Show them you’re changing; show them you really want to make things better.”
beautiful new shadow board or the world’s best-laid floor tape.
He heard me and fixed the roof.
After the roof was fixed, it was like night and day in that shop. The roof was proof that the owner was truly invested in making things better, and the team was now invested and excited.
David Visco
The takeaway from this story is that 5S isn’t going to do squat if there are
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LESSONS FROM AN UNLIKELY BUSINESSMAN ‘SOME STORIES: LESSONS FROM THE EDGE OF BUSINESS AND SPORT’
been coasting with your business and life, this is a must read. As author and reporter Jon Krakauer warns, “this book might
McGuane. Entrepreneurs have to take initiative and be ready to accept great risk. Chouinard does both with the pioneering spirit of a true business owner, despite his reluctance to accept the title. He would never abandon his values or the company’s to sell a sweatshirt, and he’s constantly pulling inspiration and guidance from the natural environment. “Some Stories” explores Chouinard’s drive to learn and make mistakes along the way and paints a portrait of an icon of thoughtful action and business success. “Some Stories” is worth it just for the stunning pictures, but if you want to be pulled in by a book, and possibly forced to reconsider whether or not you’ve
You’re probably familiar with the story of outdoor apparel company Patagonia and its founder, Yvon Chouinard. Chouinard’s earlier book, “Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman,” explored the early struggles and triumphs of Patagonia and gave us some insight into how the company became so successful. Chouinard has given us another glimpse into his world with his new book, “Some Stories: Lessons From the Edge of Business and Sport.” As the title suggests, the book is a collection of stories and beautiful photographs that illustrate how a sense of adventure, a readiness to adapt, and a dedication to what you believe in are all necessary parts of doing anything well (including running a multimillion-dollar business). While the book contains plenty of business advice, most of its wisdom is just as applicable to life.
make you think twice about what you’re doing with your own life.”
“I know of no better example than Chouinard of what entrepreneurial
Americans do best,” wrote author and angler Thomas
HOW 5S LEAN ORGANIZATION CAN IMPROVE YOUR WAREHOUSE
STANDARDIZE Standardization of warehouse procedures can be approached from multiple fronts. Create training handbooks and work manuals that describe the responsibilities of each role in detail. Standardize the labels on inventory shelves and remove any unnecessary information. These practices will make day-to-day operations more efficient. SUSTAIN Once you’ve established your new and improved efficiency measures, keep it up. 5S is not a one-and-done process; it’s a continual push toward greater efficiency. Create mechanisms to monitor which measures lead to success and which ones need improvement. In a warehouse where peak efficiency is the goal, issues that need to be fixed will be easier to spot.
When you think of the inside of a warehouse, what images come to mind? Cluttered shelves? Dusty floors? Dark corners filled with
who knows what? While this may be the perception, 5S lean organization methods are growing more popular in the warehousing industry, making this a thing of the past. Here’s how you can make that vision a reality.
SORT The mistake many warehouse managers make when they begin the 5S process is adhering to previously established methods and procedures. If you break those methods and procedures down to find what will actually be the most efficient for moving and storing inventory, you get yourself out of the rut. SET When resetting everything after it’s sorted, organize your inventory and equipment in
a way that creates the shortest distance between steps in processes. Bring work closer to your workers or your workers closer to their work. SHINE This is where your warehouse will really start to differ from the stereotype. Clean floors and surfaces make for a more productive work environment, and this step can also include safety inspections and maintenance checks. You should take this as an opportunity to schedule periodic deep cleans.
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DOG DAYS: LET’S BE SIRIUS LILLY’S CORNER Dog days of summer, they call it. I call it hot. What’s it supposed to mean, really? Thanks to my human’s handy Google tool, I satisfied my canine curiosity.
EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY DEFINING EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE
What I found is that humans who lived a long, long time ago noticed that every year at this time, the dog star, Sirius, would rise with the sun and shine extra bright. They thought the combination of the sun and the dog star together were causing all the heat.
We’re excited to feature our team member Hans this month and share his 5S story. What makes and defines exceptional customer service today? Experience, integrity, organization, great demeanor, willingness to go the extra mile, and more. These are just some of the phrases describing our customer service manager Hans Mims. Working with our customers after their purchases, Hans is an expert in ensuring their satisfaction and experience with our company. With 15 years in customer service, he is a pro at working with people and connecting them to the services and answers they need.
These humans were onto something. In July and early August, the sun is in the same part of the sky as Sirius, and they rise and set at the same time. Oh, and according to some other people who lived a long, long time ago, Sirius was the canine pal of the legendary hunter Orion, proving we’ve always been human’s best friend. Pretty cool, huh? Now, to get my own star ...
Hans enjoys finding the best solutions and resolving issues that help ensure an exceptional experience. “I enjoy speaking with customers and helping them resolve their issues beyond their expectations,” Hans says. “Hearing their general excitement about products and services is very rewarding.” Hans gets to interact with customers and often gets calls when people are stoked about a product, such as a new shadow board. “Customers contact us because they’re excited when they actually receive the boards they helped design.” Hans shares. “We get a lot of good feedback about our custom products.” True to the concept of continuous improvement, Hans takes every bit of feedback in stride. “It’s great to get feedback on what we can do to improve upon what we are already doing,” he says. After meeting David and Barbara, Hans knew he’d found the place he wanted to grow his career. “I saw their passion for the business and what they’ve built here,” Hans says. “It’s much different than working in a corporate setting. It’s David and Barbara’s baby, and they’ve watched it grow. They’ve built a collaborative team where everyone pitches in to get the job done.” Hans says the work environment here makes it an enjoyable place to be. “It has a good ebb and flow,” he says. “After daily huddles, when we understand what everyone else is doing, we get to work.” Hans works closely with Suzanne and says they’re good at fitting in some fun between getting tasks done. “We go back and forth like brother and sister,” Hans says. “It helps the day go by faster.”
CLASSIC APPLE CRISP
INGREDIENTS
Inspired by Food Network
Topping: • 3/4 cup
Filling: • 5 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped • 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour • 2 tbsp maple syrup • 1 tbsp lemon juice
all-purpose flour • 1/3 cup brown sugar • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon • 1/4 tsp salt • 6 tbsp chilled butter, cut into pieces • 1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oven to 350 F. 2. In a mixing bowl, mix all filling ingredients together. Transfer to individual serving ramekins. 3. In a different mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the topping. Mix in butter until it forms lumps roughly the size of a pea, then stir in pecans. Sprinkle topping over filling. 4. Bake for 35–40 minutes, let stand for 10 minutes, and serve.
Thanks for all you do for our team and for our customers, Hans!
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16 Lomar Park, Unit 8 Pepperell, MA 01463 978-842-4610 www.the5sstore.com
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1 | Prove Your Commitment to 5S
2 | Lessons From an Unlikely Businessman 5S and Warehousing
3 | Meet Our 5S Success Team Lilly’s Warehouse Classic Apple Crisp
4 | Crazy Homes Not Built by Architects
THE WORLD’S WACKIEST HOMES
HOBBIT HOUSE, INVERNESS-SHIRE, SCOTLAND Surprisingly, Stuart Grant’s cozy forest cottage was not inspired by the hobbit holes of “Lord of the Rings.” In fact, Grant built it over 15 years before the first movie was released. Still, it’s hard not to imagine some magical creature taking up residence in this house, which appears to be an extension of the forest itself. Gnarled tree trunks frame a circular door, moss coats the roof, and ivy covers most of the walls, all belying a cozy interior fit for many a hobbit meal or dwarf song. These homes may not be for everyone, but that’s kind of the point. Each of these homes was built by a specific resident, for a specific resident. Still, you can’t help but be impressed by the determination of their owners to make something truly one of a kind.
DESIGNED BY THEIR OWNERS
remote, magenta-green island home, floats in Clayoquot Sound near Vancouver Island. They started building it from old, interlocking steel docks in 1991, and now it includes 15 platforms, four greenhouses, a guest house, an art workshop, and more. BAT CASA, SAN MIGUEL, MEXICO The best word to describe this home is probably “anatomical.” That’s certainly the aesthetic movie set designer and Bat Casa resident Steve Rood was going for. The staircase looks like human vertebrae, skeletal hands act as towel hooks in the bathroom, and tendril-like fixtures surround the living room couch. Perhaps the most out-of-character addition to the house is a large mural of the bat symbol painted on the garage door, which is the origin of the property’s name.
It doesn’t always take a master architect to create a
breathtaking home. Some homeowners have shunned suburban domiciles and, with a little artistic vision and a lot of determination, built homes that capture their identities. Quirky, meticulously constructed, and always unique, here are a few of the world’s wackiest homes designed, and sometimes built, by their owners. FREEDOM COVE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA When someone says they live on the water, they probably don’t mean they actually live on the water. But for artists Wayne Adams and Catherine King, the statement is literal. Freedom Cove, their
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