Meat + Poultry - October 2009 - 82

MAINTENANCE

out items that will likely
never be needed. Often
some of these items
ms
can be recycled and
actually generate
revenue.
The next 'S'
is 'straighten' or
'set in order.' To
straighten means
when putting items
(i.e., tools, parts, diagnostic equipment,
etc.) back into thee
space, you find a storrage space for every item
based on the frequency
ency of
use. Often making use of
overhead space is possible,
ossible,
which may require using a
ladder for those raqrelyused
qrelyused
items. On the other hand, tools
asis should be
needed on a daily basis
placed as close to the point of use as
possible. In some facilities where it
can be a rather long round-trip walk
to the maintenance department, it
makes sense to keep a small designated area for maintenance supplies
on the plant floor. These are often
lockable stainless-steel cabinets used
to stage equipment specific tools and

tell with a quick glance if a tool or
a spare part is missing. Everything
should be kept in its place when
not in use.
'Shine' is the next 'S.' This applies specifically to equipment both
on the production floor and the behind-the-scenes. Because produc-

The final 'S' is 'sustain'. This
means putting the people and
processes in place to make the
previous four items sustainable.
frequently replaced parts at or near
the point of use.

Use visual management
It is important to keep maintenance
tools clean and prevent them from
compromising food safety. Regardless of where items are located when
setting up these areas, use visual
management. This means creating
special holders for tools and using shadow boards so anyone can

tion equipment in meat- and poultry-processing facilities get cleaned
frequently by the sanitation department, it is incumbent upon the maintenance department to take control
of the behind-the-scenes equipment.
Think compressors, chiller and
scalder blowers, refrigeration equipment, etc. This usually requires not
only cleaning, but wherever possible
painting equipment and the floors
under the equipment. If a piece of

82 * Meat&Poultry * October 2009 * www.MeatPoultry.com

equipment and the floor beneath
it are kept clean, when
wh it starts to
leak oil, it is fast an
and easy to spot.
'Standardize' is the fourth 'S.'
everyt
Standardize everything
from the
work-order process
proce to the purchasing process. There ought
to be standard methods
me
for processing work ord
orders, ordering
parts, applying for vacation
time, using certain
cert
tools, the
care of equ
equipment, etc.
When processWh
es are standardized, it becomes very
easy to spot
variance.
The final
'S' is 'sustain.' This
means putting
pu
the people and processes in place to make
the previous four item
items sustainable.
I remember very little of my physics class in high school, but there was
one word that stuck with me and I
remember the word to this day: entropy. A loose definition of entropy
is the natural tendency for systems
to go from organized to chaotic. It
is commonly accepted as difficult
to change people and their habits. It
is also commonly accepted that the
larger the change, the harder it is to
change. But if you stop and think
about it, we seek out change in our
personal lives. For example, many
people who are single seek marriage.
That is a big change, but one people
eventually get used to.
So, compared to that kind of
change, sustaining some very simple
processes and specific features of a
healthy 5 'S' program shouldn't be
too difficult, should it? ■
Mark Eystad is the owner of Mark 1045, Inc.
(www.mark1045.com), Marietta, Ga. Mark 1045,
Inc. utilized Theory of Constrains, Lean and Six
Sigma Principles bring companies to levels of
profitability previously thought unattainable.
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by e-mail at: meatpoultry@sosland.com.

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