How to Make 5S as a Culture in Chinese Enterprises

In more than twenty years, a lot of enterprises in Chinese Mainland have carried out 5S that is the basis for lean production in consideration of its great success in other countries, but many of them failed to realize their original targets because they use 5S merely as a tool and expect to profit from it in short time without combination with local culture. The paper points out main misunderstandings and errors of Chinese enterprises in implementing 5S via investigation in manufacturing enterprises, which result in the failure of 5S management, and proposes steps to carry out 5S program successfully namely how to make 5S as a culture. Furthermore, the paper suggests essential elements for enterprises in Chinese Mainland to make 5S as a culture, which are crucial for them to succeed or fail in 5S management. We hope that Chinese enterprises will succeed in 5S management and provide a firm cultural basis for the deployment of lean production in China.