In this article, we take a closer look at the role of 6S Principles in Food Factories and identify the areas of your operation where this framework could be of use.

Originally developed in Japan, the 6S Lean Principles are a framework for operational efficiency. Also known as 5S + Safety, the principles include: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise, Sustain, and Safety.

With a growing pressure for food production sites to drive efficiency, we decided to explore how the 6S Lean Principles could be applied to your operation.

We have split this guide into five key areas and there are valuable takeaways in each section. However, if you are short on time, you can use the links below to jump to the topic most relevant to your site.

Contents:

1. Equipment Management

2. Increasing Efficiency and Reducing Downtime

3. Health and Safety

4. Audit Compliance

5. Sustainability

6S Principles & Equipment Management

SORT

If you are going to maintain a high standard of food safety and secure audit compliance, you need to reduce the risk of the operatives at your site using the wrong tools for the wrong task. You also need to remove any degraded or damaged equipment from your operation.

SET IN ORDER

Organising the equipment at your site will make it easier to identify both missing utensils and the tools in need of replacement. A popular solution is to bring your equipment into a highly visible space and display it on shadow boards. Often colour-coded to support any segregation requirements, shadow boards provide a home for each item – reducing the risk of equipment being damaged, degraded, or exposed to cross-contamination during storage.

SHINE

Harsh chemicals or residue from production can cause equipment to degrade over time. Not only will its lifespan be reduced, but it will also become a foreign-body or cross-contamination risk. Thoroughly cleaning equipment will make it last longer at your site, but it will still need to be checked before each use. Failing to take these steps could result in a broken bristle or plastic shard making its way into your product.

STANDARDISE

Maintaining the same standard across your site should reduce the frequency of equipment going missing. After all, if every department has its own tools organised and easily accessible, there should be no need to borrow equipment from other areas.

SUSTAIN

The teams working at your site need to be aware of what ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ equipment looks like. Maintaining and eventually replacing equipment should be an ongoing process that everyone stays on top of. You could use Internal Audits and Visual Management solutions to reinforce this message. You could also simplify the replacement process by requesting QR codes on your shadow boards, allowing your team to re-order equipment at the click of a button.

SAFETY

The prompt removal of damaged or broken equipment will not only help to prevent a serious food safety incident from occurring at your site, but it will also help to safeguard your operatives against work-related injuries.

Examples of shadow boards and equipment storage systems used in food production facilities

Shadow board Inspiration Guide

Want to learn more about shadow boards? From engineering tool boards and storage for your spill kits to PPE bases and change part stations, there are over 70 shadow board designs to explore in our Inspiration Guide.

Increasing Efficiency and Reducing Downtime

SORT

It is vital that you equip your team with the right tools for each task. If we take the example of using a standard brush to clean a complex machine part – this can be time-consuming and often frustrating. However, tackling the same job with dedicated detail cleaning equipment will transform the process of removing stubborn residues or addressing those hard-to-reach areas.

SET IN ORDER

Instead of your operatives wasting time searching for missing equipment and navigating an unorganised work space, they will be able to drive standards of productivity and efficiency. They will also know exactly where to return their equipment after use.

SHINE

Encouraging your operatives to embrace a clean-as-you-go approach could allow you to reduce the length of the hygiene window, and therefore, the time it takes to get production back up and running.

STANDARDISE

To secure success, every department at your site needs to be working together and held to the same standards. Streamlining processes across your organisation will help to eliminate bottlenecks.

SUSTAIN

Any improvements to efficiency and the reduction of downtime need to be sustainable. Measures such as assigning responsibility to key team members, switching over to digital checklists, and investing in time-saving solutions, will help to ensure this is the case.

SAFETY

Although it is important to push for increased efficiency and a reduction of downtime, this should never be at the expense of safety. Measures such as sourcing the right equipment, storing it correctly, and maintaining a clean workspace will help to ensure any goals are achieved organically and in the safest way possible.

Audit Compliance & 6S Principles in Food Factories

SORT

Clause 4.11.6 of the BRCGS Global Food Safety Standard states that “equipment must be: hygienically designed, fit for purpose, [and] cleaned in a hygienic manner to prevent contamination“. An auditor will regard damaged, broken, or in inappropriate equipment as a food safety, cross-contamination, or foreign body risk. 

SET IN ORDER

Your auditor will expect to see equipment stored in a manner that eliminates the risk of damage, degradation, and cross-contamination. Missing equipment or equipment that is clearly being used for the wrong task in the wrong area could result in a serious point of non-conformance, especially if your are running a high-risk operation or your site is handling allergens.

SHINE

Early audit data from BRCGS revealed the most common point of non-conformance relates to hygiene: Clause 4.11.1, “The premises and equipment shall be maintained in a clean and hygienic condition”. With so many sites struggling in this area, prioritising the cleanliness of your operation has never been more important.

STANDARDISE

Auditors will expect to see a consistent approach to food safety and hygiene across your site, often checking those hard-to-reach areas or prioritising the spaces that are easy to overlook. To be truly confident going into an audit, you need to make sure every area of your operation has been accounted for.

SUSTAIN

It is a huge risk to only aspire to certain standards when an audit is approaching, especially when unannounced audits are becoming more and more popular. The ‘sustain’ principle will encourage your site to be audit-ready all year round.

SAFETY

Safety is another key focus of Version 9 of the Global Food Safety Standard – covering both the safety of your product and the safety of your operatives. From your Food Safety HACCP plan to the protective clothing worn by your team, safety needs to be a priority at every turn.

Using 6S Lean to Enhance Health & Safety

SORT

The removal of broken or damaged equipment will reduce the risk of an accident occurring at your site. It will also provide an opportunity for you to kit out your team with ergonomic equipment that has been designed to protect the wellbeing of its user.

SET IN ORDER

An organised environment will reduce the risk of the wrong tool being used for the wrong task. This will safeguard your operatives against RSI (repetitive strain injury) and equipment-related accidents. Effective signage and segregation should also reduce the risk of a team member using a piece of equipment they haven’t been trained to handle.

SHINE

Health and safety incidents are less likely to occur in a clean and uncluttered environment, as hazards like broken glass, a chemical spill, a trailing wire, or an uneven floor tile will be easier to spot.

STANDARDISE

A consistent approach to health and safety will ensure operatives are just as vigilant during night shifts, busy production periods, or in the face of employee absenteeism – areas where standards can typically slip.

SUSTAIN

By assigning responsibility, carrying out regular checks, and placing health and safety at the centre of your site’s culture, you can ensure any positive results are sustainable. Frequently reviewing the standards at your site will also help you to keep up with the latest legislation.

SAFETY

As part of the 6S strategy, the health and safety team at your site will need to focus on identifying hazards and setting preventative controls. They will also need to draw on the other five principles to ensure the work environment at your site meets the required safety standards.

Discover more about Safety Signage Solutions

6S Lean & Sustainability

SORT

As you sort through the equipment and materials at your site, sustainability should be a top priority. Whether that’s cleaning equipment that has been made from recycled equipment or protective footwear that is part of a circular economy, this is your opportunity to eliminate (where possible) the elements of your operation that could be standing in the way of your sustainability targets.

SET IN ORDER

In addition to extending the lifespan of your equipment, an organised factory environment should also help to reduce product waste. Instead of operatives accidentally using the wrong ingredients or incorrectly disposing of packaging that could have been recycled, there will be less room for error.

SHINE

As previously mentioned, the proper cleaning of your equipment will help to extend its lifespan and reduce the need for replacements. As a result, your site should notice a significant reduction of waste.

STANDARDISE

From the cleaning chemicals used by your Hygiene Team to the amount of waste generated by production, it’s important that you are setting sustainability targets across every department.

SUSTAIN

It is hard to think of an area of your operation where the principle of ‘sustain’ is more relevant. Embracing an eco-friendly approach is all about looking to the future and investing in long-term solutions that will deliver successful outcomes to your site for years to come.

SAFETY

Finally, you need to factor in the principle of ‘safety’ when evaluating the sustainability solutions you are going to introduce to your site. After all, the equipment you use needs to be just as effective and 100% compliant with the relevant food safety standards.

Learn more about our Sustainability Solutions

That brings us to the end of our guide to 6S Principles (5S + Safety) in Food Factories, and more specifically, the areas of your site that could be enhanced by this increasingly popular framework.

We hope this article has inspired you to keep the principles of: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise, Sustain, and Safety at the centre of the work you are doing.

If you have any questions about either 6S Lean or the different solutions mentioned throughout this piece,  you can contact us directly on 01473461800 or sales@klipspringer.com. Alternatively, you can fill out the contact form below and one of our friendly team members will be in touch. 

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