Tuesday, January 8, 2008
"5S Champion... that's ME!"
Today I was approached by my supervisor at work to see if I would agree to be the "Champion" of the back warehouse. I was a little hesitant. This is part of becoming ISO Certified. If you don't know what that is... I am not much help. I barely know anything about it. All I know is that my work is turning upside down trying to clean, organize and maintain a certain type of atmosphere that qualifies by ISO standards. To be a "Champion" of an area means that you are basically the person in charge of getting that area organized (and recruiting others to help) and throwing away unnecessary items, labeling, cleaning, then maintaining that status. Now you can see why I was a little hesitant. My work make hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of different parts for lift equipment, cranes, etc. The warehouse, although not TOO big, is a pretty big responsibility. Luckily, I am familiar with a lot of what goes in and out and how the place runs (since I've done shipping for the past 4 years there).... but wow. Being the Champion is going to take a lot of time! Today the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!! I was even able to take my sweatshirt off and roll up my tshirt sleeves! My supervisor advised me that I didn't have to do the cleaning, etc myself... however, I just got the itch to do it. I can't resist being outside during work hours! So, I had another coworker take over my Receiving duties... and I set out to make a difference!! You wouldn't believe the stuff I cleaned up!! I got to use the forklift (fun stuff!!!)... I organized parts on the skids... consolidated... scrapped a bunch of junk... moved... labeled, etc. I had people commenting all afternoon on how they have never seen it look so good! This is actually funny because I am NOT an organizing-type person. It felt really good to take initiative and make a difference though. And it's easier to clean up someone else's mess. LOL! Tomorrow, I tackle the inside!!
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hey...remember to change my blog link ...take out "the" LOL.
ReplyDeleteWOW! That is awesome if you get to be champion! i bet that means a nice raise (woot) and what is better than keeping things organized?? WOOHOO!!! I think you should do it!!! hehe!
Being the Champion doesn't mean getting a raise (unfortunately)---but it's a nice thought! Maybe if I do a really good job they'll give me one... but doubtful! Oh well... it's still fun!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not spamming your blog. I just scan for mentions of 5s, lean, etc. as part of my job.
ReplyDeleteIf you really want to "do a really good job" you might want to consider reading up/watching a few videos.
I'm partial to this youtube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUtc3x3xDFc .
And, with full disclosure (I work for this company, but not for anything else I recommend), this website might be of use - http://5s.labelprinter.com .
You might also want to read leanblog.org and see what others are saying.
All the best, and good luck!
That’s true; being a Champion can be a bit overwhelming, because you have to ensure that the warehouse is strictly implementing the 5S system. But on the plus side, it shows that your boss is confident of your capabilities. This only means that your supervisor believes in you and your skills. Anyhow, did you accept the challenge?
ReplyDeleteBarton Wilson @ International Standards Authority