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Description

5S Method: Organising Workstations, Engaging Teams and Sustaining Results

Run a 5S initiative that goes beyond a one-off clean-up followed by a return to old habits

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Operators hunt for their tools, work-in-progress piles up at the foot of the machines and every shift handover begins with long minutes of searching. A major clean-up has already been organised, yet everything drifted back to how it was. The rules were never written down and the initiative was seen as a cosmetic exercise.

This one-day programme provides the method for running a 5S initiative on a real work area. Each of the five steps is worked through with its own tools: sorting criteria, point-of-use storage, cleaning standards, formalised rules and sustainment audits. Particular emphasis is placed on operator engagement.

Learning objectives

  • Explain the purpose of the five steps of the 5S approach
  • Sort a work area using criteria defined collectively
  • Organise point-of-use storage and its visual marking
  • Draft the cleaning standard and the rules for maintaining the area
  • Build an audit checklist and drive sustainment over time

What makes this programme different

The initiative is run on a real work area or on a workstation recreated in the training room
Operator resistance is addressed using their most common objections
Participants build the sustainment audit checklist for their own workshop

Programme

1Sort and Set in Order

Free up the area and give every item a place

  • Purpose of the approach and expected gains at the workstation
  • Sorting criteria and handling items nobody will decide on
  • Holding area and removal rules
  • Point-of-use storage based on frequency of use
  • Floor marking, labelling and visual management

2Shine and Standardise

Moving from a one-off effort to a written rule

  • Cleaning as a means of inspecting equipment
  • Identifying sources of contamination and addressing them at source
  • Drafting the cleaning standard and allocating responsibilities
  • Visual display of the rules at the workstation
  • Embedding 5S into shift start-up routines

3Sustain the Approach

Preventing a return to old habits

  • Building the audit checklist and scoring deviations
  • Audit frequency and the role of frontline supervision
  • Handling deviations and the associated action plan
  • Visual management and display of results
  • Gradual extension to other areas of the workshop

Who is it for

Operators and technicians as well as workshop supervisors, quality facilitators and frontline team leaders.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.