Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of 5S initiatives as a facilitator of accruing business excellence in the manufacturing organizations. Design/methodology/approach The study involves empirical investigation of 92 manufacturing organizations to evaluate the contributions of 5S initiatives toward accruing business performance excellence in the respondent organizations. The study involves nine significant stimulants for 5S implementation and seven crucial performance parameters leading to realization of business excellence in manufacturing organizations. Findings The results clearly indicate close association between the significant nine stimulants for 5S implementation and seven crucial business excellence performance parameters. The study also establishes that 5S initiatives can significantly facilitate achievement of business excellence in the manufacturing organizations. Originality/value The study deploys various statistical and validation techniques to evaluate the contributions of effective 5S approach as a facilitator for accruing business excellence in manufacturing organizations.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the comprehensive literature review on 5S and suggest possible gaps from the point of view of researchers and practitioners. The manuscript presents the overview of 5S implementation and highlights the achievements realized from deployment of 5S initiatives for sustainable performance of organizations. Design/methodology/approach The paper critically examines the literature on 5S, analyzes and reviews it systematically. The study highlights the critical barriers and success factors for sustainable 5S implementation in the organizations in the competitive world. Findings 5S is an outstanding Japanese philosophy for the development of any type organization all over the world. This study bring out the concept of 5S, requirements for its holistic implementation, relationship with other lean tools, benefits, success factors and obstacles in 5S implementation. The significant contributions through 5S initiatives in the organization like production, quality, safety and effective utilization of workspace for the sustained organizational improvement have also been highlighted in the study. Practical implications The literature on assortment of 5S technique has been so far very limited. The present paper reviews large number of research publications related to 5S to highlight the significance of 5S philosophy in the sustainable organizational improvement across the world. It foregrounds the approach advised by the various researchers, practitioners and appraises censoriously the reason behind the demand of 5S program in the organization. The needful steps and obstacles are also foreground for the effective implementation of 5S in the organization. Originality/value The paper presents a comprehensive review of literature publications in the area of 5S and their assortment to develop an understanding of the significance and implementation of 5S in the organizations. The paper will be helpful or useful to researchers, safety executives, development professionals and managers in the organizations.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative benefits accrued by an Indian automotive parts industry through strategic 5S implementation initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The study involves evaluation of steps involved in systematic implementation of 5S program methodology in an automotive manufacturing organization and investigation of achievements accrued by the industry through the successful implementation of 5S program. Findings The empirical results of the study have revealed that effective practice of 5S program brings considerable level of improvements in the quality, production, cost optimizations, employee’s morale values and work culture in the manufacturing industry. The industry accrued both tangible and non-tangible benefits through the holistic adoption of 5S principals. 5S principals have been envisioned to further support other quality improvement programs like lean manufacturing initiatives of the organizations. Research limitations/implications The limitation of the study is that this research has been carried out in only manufacturing industry while similar study will be conducted in the service industry also. Originality/value Global competition in the manufacturing sector has provided necessary impetus for manufacturing organizations for affecting continuous improvements in manufacturing performance for achieving sustainability and profitability in the competitive market. 5S implementation is the fundamental tool for the overall achievements in both quantitative and qualitative performance enhancements in the manufacturing as well as service organizations.

Purpose The purpose of this research paper is to evaluate the contributions of 5S implementation in the Indian manufacturing industries and its impact on the enhancement of their business performance. Design/methodology/approach The research study has been accomplished in the large number of manufacturing organizations that have successfully imbibed the 5S technique or are in the process of implementing 5S initiatives alone or along with other lean manufacturing practices. An elaborated “5S Questionnaire” has been designed to determine the contextual factors and their impact on the enhancement of business performance. Findings The results reveal that the majority of organizations have shown total commitment toward the implementation and objective realization of 5S quality policy at all levels in the organizations. The implementation of 5S has facilitated manufacturing organizations to accrue significant benefits such as improvement in overall organizational, productivity, quality, safety, employee morale values, effective workspace utilization, and cost optimizations. The results also show the elimination of serious chronic manufacturing system problems such as delays, breakdown, demoralized employees, declining profits, and dissatisfied customers through holistic 5S implementation. Research limitations/implications The limitation of the study is that it encompasses only the manufacturing organizations, while a similar study can also be conducted in services sector also. Originality/value The study highlights the detailed contributions of 5S principles in the development of manufacturing organizations and its impact on the enhancement of business performance for remaining competitive in global market world.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the capabilities of 5S program to meliorate the different competitive dimensions of manufacturing organizations and extracts the various significant factors which influence its successful implementation. Design/methodology/approach The paper involves empirical study of responses collected from various manufacturing organizations to investigate the inter-relationships between various 5S implementation success factors and competitive dimensions parameters through different statistical techniques. The study deploys Bonferroni post hoc test to establish the statistical significance of competitive dimensions improvements, progressively accrued over a reasonable period of time, through holistic 5S implementation. Findings The study validates the contributions of 5S program toward realization of significant improvements of various competitive dimensions such as overall organizational achievements, production achievements, quality and continuous improvement achievements, cost optimization achievements, employee-related achievements, effective workplace utilization and safety enhancement achievements accrued by Indian manufacturing organizations. Finally the discriminant validity test has been used in the study for classifying highly successful and moderately successful organizations. Originality/value The research aims to empirically test the relationships among various 5S implementation constructs and competitive dimensions parameters constructs in manufacturing organizations. The research work establishes that 5S initiatives have effectively contributed for realization of significant competitive dimensions, progressively from introduction to maturity phases. The research highlights the key significant implications for manufacturing managers.