5S Supply Blog

I’m not a big fan of a lot of excess documentation, but I do believe in standardized work, a visual workplace, checklists and other forms that help people do their jobs better and more efficiently. One of the worst things you can do is to have people searching for the correct paperwork (a non-value added activity) instead of doing their actual work (the value-added activity). 5S is a cornerstone of having the right things in the right place (point-of-use) and at the right time.

When it comes to documentation, information and inspections I have found that using display stands is a tremendous help with tons of benefits.

For example, let’s just say that one employee spends ten minutes a day searching for paperwork (we all know this is probably on the low side). At ten minutes a day, five days a week and 50 weeks a year that adds up to 2,500 minutes or 41 hours and 40 minutes. Is it worth a week’s pay in a year’s time just to have an employee searching for the correct document? Of course not. Now multiply that times the number of people that use that paperwork. The cost could be staggering.

Now here’s is a simple solution – display stands. 5S Supply carries eight different styles of documentation, information and inspections stands in a variety of sizes to fit most everyone’s needs.

• Kaizen Event Stand – perfect for holding information related to your kaizen event. Comes with Kaizen Planning Charts and has wheels to make it mobile from one kaizen event to another.
• Document Stand – Six models and16 styles to choose from. Wall mount, bench munt, wheels – we have it all covered. From small paperwork to large and from basic models to deluxe.
• Information Stand – These models have a deep 4” 3-ring binder on top and an angled writing surface.
• Inspection Stand – Need the ability to move your inspections stands to where you need them? This is your answer. Four different models to choose from.
• Blueprint Display Stand – Finding it difficult to have a convenient place to put your blueprints or other large documents that’s not in your way? Our Blueprint Stands go from Basic to Deluxe and have wheels to get them where you need them.
• Message Board – Not only a great document stand, but this model includes an 18” x 24” dry erase message board so that you can keep the communication flowing.
• Catalog Display Stand – need a lot of room for binders? This stand can hold up to 12 one inch binders for convenient access. No binders disappearing form the work area.
• Mobile Parts Caddy – Need an easy way to move light parts from one area to another? Consider this Mobile Parts Caddy.

The return on investment for these stands is great. Reducing the amount of time searching for documentation, not having to search for documents to get them updated, making sure the correct revision is available at point-of-use are all benefits of using these stands. From the example above, you would probably recoup your investment in less than a year with just one employee and definitely a shorter period of time if you have more than one employee using these stands.

There a many ways to make sure the information you need is visual, convenient and at point-of-use; these stands are the perfect solution. For more information, please visit us at www.5Ssupply.com.