We are all familiar with the 5S mantra for running a tightly choreographed manufacturing operation. It’s an intuitively pleasing and simplified set of rules for improving and maintaining physical plants, and can be targeted at everything from making cars to creating an effective commercial lab space. The ideas behind Sort, Straighten, Scrub, Standardize, and Sustain are closely linked to the writings of just-in-time efficiency expert Hiroyuki Hirano, and are also often associated with the term Kaizen.
Taking into consideration the admirable characteristics of Kaizen, is it possible to contemplate a 5S program for using semiconductor IP in a lean and efficient way? Although any number of S’s might fill the bill, let’s consider Seek, Sort, Satisfy, Stitch, and Sell as one such assembly of terms that could guide the IP user.
