{"id":98881,"date":"2026-10-22T14:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T12:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/?p=98881"},"modified":"2026-10-19T08:51:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T06:51:44","slug":"5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/","title":{"rendered":"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage for the box factory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before chasing innovation and digitalization, every continuous improvement journey should start with a simple question: is our production department organized, clean and safe? Leanbox 5S method by Induvation<\/strong> answers to this question, and changes much more than it seems<\/em><\/p>\n

\"5S<\/p>\n

When a company asks us to start a continuous improvement journey, the first question we ask does not concern OEE, setups or the production organization chart. It concerns the order. Because before introducing more advanced approaches, it is necessary to put simple things in order: if an operator wastes time looking for a tool, a die or a bucket of ink, any discussion about digitalization, KPIs or artificial intelligence risks remaining theoretical.<\/p>\n

5S was born exactly from this logic. It is a lean manufacturing methodology that organizes the workplace around five progressive phases: Seiri (select), Seiton (set in order), Seiso (sweep\/clean), Seiketsu (standardize) and Shitsuke (develop self-discipline).<\/strong> In many cases a sixth S is added, that of Safety, confirming how order and accident prevention are two sides of the same coin.<\/p>\n

In our direct experience in box factories and paper converting companies, 5S is almost always the first LeanBox pilot project we propose in the production department.<\/strong> Not by chance: it has an immediate visual impact, capable of changing in a few weeks not only the appearance of the department, but the mindset of the people working there. An organization will hardly accept working on demanding topics such as TPM or SMED if it has not first demonstrated, to itself that it can keep a tool trolley in order.<\/p>\n

How to apply it on the line: from freeing up space to standard<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most effective way to apply 5S in a box factory is not a theoretical course, but an operational workshop that directly involves operators on the line, machine by machine. It almost always starts with the complete clearing of the area<\/strong>: everything found around the line, from pallets to tools forgotten for months, is moved to a single area (which we call the muda* zone, because of the waste it represents). Only at that point do we move on to the selection phase: tools, auxiliary materials and consumables are assessed one by one to understand what is really needed on the line. What remains is marked with the identifying color of the line, to recognize belonging; what is missing or does not work is recorded in a dedicated form, instead of being postponed indefinitely.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is followed by the actual cleaning of the workplace,<\/strong> often the simplest phase but also the one with the strongest visual effect in the eyes of those people in the company who do not yet believe in the project. The most delicate phase, however, is the arrangement: giving everything a place, so everything is accessible, safe and visible.<\/strong> This is where, in our projects, we go into the operational details of the box factory: management of maintenance and setup tools, positioned exactly where they are used and not in a warehouse far from the machine; ink management with standard kanban (visula signs) colors, replenished as soon as a bucket is emptied; classification of dies into A, B and C classes, with those most frequently used kept permanently near the machine and the others managed with an IN\/OUT logic; reduction and standardization of printing plates and waste sheets, to eliminate unnecessary variants. The documents posted on the line, which over time accumulate without anyone updating or removing them, are also carefully reviewed.<\/p>\n

These are clearly just examples to better illustrate the issue, but the solutions can clearly vary according to the specific needs of the customer.<\/p>\n

A best practice that we apply increasingly often is to combine 5S with the review of the material supply process on the line, typically through a milk run system: a scheduled round that supplies the production lines with the correct frequency, relying precisely on the spaces and coding defined during 5S. The two projects reinforce each other: one creates order, the other sustains it over time.<\/p>\n

Only after defining this “zero state” we move on to standardization, that is, transforming what has been achieved into a visible and shared rule, and finally to the development of self-discipline<\/strong>: the ability of the organization to maintain and improve the standard without someone having to remind it every day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The living room at home and the business card: why it is so valuable for the box factory<\/strong><\/p>\n

For managers who are more numbers-oriented, it sometimes happens that they ask us: but 5S, in the end, how much is it worth? The correct answer is twofold.<\/p>\n

There are qualitative benefits<\/strong> that should not be underestimated: ergonomics, people’s well-being, an environment in which people feel comfortable working. The production department is, for those who spend eight hours a day there, a bit like the living room at home: if it is messy, you get used with it; if it is well kept, it changes the attitude with which you enter it every morning. And the same department, in the eyes of a customer or an auditor visiting, is the company’s business card. We have seen industrial customers consciously choose to bring their own customers to visit an organized and clean box factory, because that visit communicated reliability better than any sales presentation. And the same applies, negatively and positively, to supplier audits: a tidy and organized line tells, even before the paperwork is opened, the level of process control of the company.<\/p>\n

Then there are the quantitative benefits<\/strong>, and this is where 5S stops being “just” an image issue. The most immediate impact can be seen in setups: when everything is in its place, operators focus on the activities that really matter while the machine does not work, instead of walking, searching or improvising. Good 5S makes the lack of a material visible before it is needed, not when the machine is already stopped waiting for it. And in many cases, it even creates non-verbal communication between those managing line supply and production operators: a trolley with an empty space in the right place communicates a need faster than any verbal request.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The real challenge is maintenance<\/strong><\/p>\n

As in almost all lean projects, the most difficult part is not starting 5S, but maintaining it. A department restored through a workshop returns to being disorganized within a few weeks if no one takes care of it. For this reason, in our projects, 5S never ends with the arrangement phase: it always includes periodic audits, with simple, objective and regular checklists and dedicated meetings in which deviations from the standard are discussed, no differently from how one would deal with a machine stoppage or a quality datum. An idea that we often recommend, and that works well in practice, is to integrate order among the criteria of production bonus: when maintaining the standard also affects people’s economic results, discipline stops being a favor done to the company and becomes part of the daily work.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Where to start<\/strong><\/p>\n

5S does not require big investments, does not stop production for weeks, does not require specialized skills that are difficult to find. It requires method, perseverance and the willingness to start with simple things before chasing complex ones. In our experience, it is the project that most often unlocks all the others: those who learn to keep a tidy and organized line also learn to measure it, standardize it and improve it.<\/p>\n

The question, then, is not whether your box factory or paper converting company needs a 5S project. The question is: if a customer entered production department today without notice, what would that line tell them about you?<\/p>\n

*The term *muda* refers to a Japanese concept meaning waste or useless activity that does not create added value.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before chasing innovation and digitalization, every continuous improvement journey should start with a simple question: is our production department organized, clean and safe? Leanbox 5S method by Induvation answers to this question, and changes much more than it seems When a company asks us to start a continuous improvement journey, the first question we ask […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":98877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[456,470,476],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-converter-cartotecnica","category-environment-sustainability-and-circular-economy","category-industry-news-converter-cartotecnica"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"is our production department organized, clean and safe? Leanbox 5S method by Induvation answers to this question\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"is our production department organized, clean and safe? Leanbox 5S method by Induvation answers to this question\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Converter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-22T12:00:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"567\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"578\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Converter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Converter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Converter\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2e394dc5b62985280853bee849121fd\"},\"headline\":\"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage for the box factory\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-22T12:00:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1306,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Converter & Cartotecnica\",\"Environment - Sustainability - Circular Economy\",\"Industry - News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/\",\"name\":\"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-22T12:00:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2e394dc5b62985280853bee849121fd\"},\"description\":\"is our production department organized, clean and safe? Leanbox 5S method by Induvation answers to this question\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg\",\"width\":567,\"height\":578},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage for the box factory\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Converter\",\"description\":\"Riviste tecniche di Stampa e Imballaggi\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2e394dc5b62985280853bee849121fd\",\"name\":\"Converter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0abc22c129dc4223656982c585b9e72905780b6e1c6e6154605144d08de252e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0abc22c129dc4223656982c585b9e72905780b6e1c6e6154605144d08de252e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0abc22c129dc4223656982c585b9e72905780b6e1c6e6154605144d08de252e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Converter\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.converter.it\\\/en\\\/author\\\/editor\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage","description":"is our production department organized, clean and safe? Leanbox 5S method by Induvation answers to this question","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage","og_description":"is our production department organized, clean and safe? Leanbox 5S method by Induvation answers to this question","og_url":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/","og_site_name":"Converter","article_published_time":"2026-10-22T12:00:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":567,"height":578,"url":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Converter","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Converter","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/"},"author":{"name":"Converter","@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/b2e394dc5b62985280853bee849121fd"},"headline":"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage for the box factory","datePublished":"2026-10-22T12:00:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/"},"wordCount":1306,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg","articleSection":["Converter & Cartotecnica","Environment - Sustainability - Circular Economy","Industry - News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/","url":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/","name":"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-22T12:00:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/b2e394dc5b62985280853bee849121fd"},"description":"is our production department organized, clean and safe? Leanbox 5S method by Induvation answers to this question","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Induvation-Ruota-5S.jpg","width":567,"height":578},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/5s-in-production-order-becomes-a-competitive-advantage-for-the-box-factory\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5S in production: order becomes a competitive advantage for the box factory"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/","name":"Converter","description":"Riviste tecniche di Stampa e Imballaggi","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/b2e394dc5b62985280853bee849121fd","name":"Converter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0abc22c129dc4223656982c585b9e72905780b6e1c6e6154605144d08de252e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0abc22c129dc4223656982c585b9e72905780b6e1c6e6154605144d08de252e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0abc22c129dc4223656982c585b9e72905780b6e1c6e6154605144d08de252e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Converter"},"url":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98881"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98883,"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98881\/revisions\/98883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.converter.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}