Mantova kicks off the new 5S Program implementation cycle

Based on an initiative of the Quality sector, in partnership with the Production area, in 2021 Mantova revamped its 5S Program. Standardizing routines, reducing the search time for tools, supplies and working materials and increasingly preserving cleanliness and organization in the company and in the workplace were conditioning factors for this new identity of the program.

Created in Japan, the 5S methodology is a management tool that helps companies of different sizes and segments to restructure their processes and adopt a production system focused on total efficiency, having educational principles as a practical basis: hygiene, safety, welfare, common sense, and respect for others. Aware of the importance of these principles, Mantova took its first steps with the participation of seven employees, representatives of the Administrative, Extrusion, Thermoforming, Logistics and Laboratory sectors. The first cycle of the program tried to disseminate its philosophy, acting strongly in the application of the sense of discard. Through it, unused objects, obsolete labels and materials, broken tools and everything that was not used in the process were discarded. Also, improvements suggested by the team were made, providing less time to release the samples received, from the development of support for the allocation of these samples. This helped the PCP in the testing schedule, reduced the waiting period for the material to go into production and, consequently, the approval of new products.

The success of this initial phase allowed Mantova to proceed with the second cycle, which voluntarily involved employees interested in being part of the 5S team. The maturity of the company's internal processes, focused on improving the professional environment, saving time and avoiding accidents, motivated everyone's commitment to suggest improvements, impacting on increased productivity. This is how, on February 19th, 2022, training took place aimed at the 15 new members of the program, responsible for disseminating the methodology and philosophy to other colleagues. The activity addressed the presentation of the 5 Senses and the main examples of application.

According to Carla Teles, Quality Analyst and responsible for the 5S Program at Mantova, the methodology contributes to raising awareness about the importance of practicing the senses, making the environment even more organized, pleasant and safe. “5S disseminates the culture of the discipline to follow established standards, identifies problems and generates opportunities for further improvements. In a professional environment that adopts such practices, the team spends less time with distractions and focuses on the quality of delivery times to customers”, explains Carla, emphasizing that the 5S Program is more than just cleaning and organizing the work environment. “It is a philosophy and, as such, presupposes a profound behavioral change in people. It’s a new way of thinking and acting,” she adds.