Lean 5s For Custodial – The Waste of Motion
So you had time to think about the waste of overproduction, did you think about your opreations and come up with any real live examples? Post them here if you did and let’s get some discussion going on this important topic.
The next waste I want to introduce you to is the waste of motion which is defined as any movement that does not add value to your product or service. Examples may be walking back and forth to retrieve tools or to conduct tasks. How many of you have team members that are walking back and forth long distances to change the water in a mop bucket for example? Maybe your team is sharing equipment between buildings, if it is a piece of equipment that is used often, think about the time spent transporting it back and forth. Could that transport time help justify another piece of equipment? Bending and reaching for things that are used often and not conveniently located is a waste of motion and ultimately time and even worse stress on the body which can lead to safety and hazardous issues and worker’s compensation.
So your assignment until next time is to observe your team members at work. Are they wasting motion in their daily routines – sometimes we get into those routines and don’t notice the obvious things. Jot those down and share them with us. If you can identify waste in motion, you can eliminate it! Until next time, happy “leaning”!
