Analysis of the impact of the 5S tool and Standardization on the duration of the production process - case study

The high level of competition in the manufacturing industry requires the creation of working conditions that allow for the efficient implementation of production processes. One of the solutions enabling the adaptation of production stations to improve the work performed by employees is the implementation of a management system based on the Lean Manufacturing (LM) philosophy. The purpose of this article was to determine the potential impact of the implemented LM tools, in the form of 5S and standardization, on the efficiency of the production process in specific production conditions. The methodology of the conducted research included: obtaining data before and after the implementation of LM tools (in total 12 months). The data was used to determine the effectiveness of individual operations, and then to conduct a comparative analysis using statistical tests. It was found, among others, that the implementation of LM tools resulted in an increase in the efficiency of the manufacturing process by about 11 percentage points. The obtained results confirm the thesis that a manufacturing company, in order to maintain its position on a competitive market, can improve the efficiency of processes by using tools such as LM. The selection of tools must be adequate to the implemented processes, so that they bring measurable increase in efficiency.