Implementation of 5S in Indian Firms

Abstract

 Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore  the relationship between 5S use, contextual factors  and performance. The contextual factors comprise  structural features of the firm, environment, human  resources and technology and quality management.  The performance measures refer to improvements in  productivity, quality, employee satisfaction, lead time  and new product design.

Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 203 Indian manufacturing plants, with personnel interviewees. The hypotheses  proposed were verified using correlation analysis and  analysis of variance.

Findings: The results show the existence of a positive  relationship between the use of 5S and some contextual  factors such as size, the integration of the plant in a  multinational group, the type of product manufactured,  the technology used and the quality programmes in the plant. Moreover, 5S is positively related to some operational performance measures, especially those referring to quality and productivity.

Originality/value: This paper contributes to the scarce empirical literature analyzing the factors related to the use of 5S and its association with manufacturing performance.