Toyota production system (TPS) is recognized as the key backbone operational management doctrine that has created a miraculous establishment of Toyota and turned it into the world greatest automobile manufacturer. The success of Toyota is often attributed to its unique TPS. With a market capitalization greater than the value of General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler combined, Toyota is also the world’s most profitable automaker. Toyota’s well-known secret weapon is Lean production the revolutionary approach to business processes that it invented in the 1950s and has spent decades perfecting. Less well known are the management principles that underlie Lean production, Lean product development, and all of Toyota’s business and service processes. Today businesses around the world are attempting to implement Toyota’s radical system for speeding up processes, reducing waste, and improving quality [1]. 

TPS accords a great emphasis on kaizen as the central element of this production system [2-3]. Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is an essential component of the Japanese management system for quality and productivity improvement. Continuous improvement, often called kaizen, defines Toyota s basic approach to doing business. Challenge everything. More important than the actual improvements that individuals contribute, the true value of continuous improvement is in creating an atmosphere of continuous learning and an environment that not only accepts but actually embraces change. Such an environment can only be created where there is respect for people hence the second pillar of the Toyota Way. Toyota demonstrates this respect by providing employment security and seeking to engage team members through active participation in improving their jobs [1].

5S is Kaizen 5-Steps Movement, is defined as a methodology that results in a workplace that is clean, uncluttered, safe, and well organized to help reduce waste and optimize productivity. It's designed to help build a quality work environment, both physically and mentally. The 5S philosophy applies in any work area suited for visual control and lean production. The 5S condition of a work area is critical to employees and is the basis of customers' first impressions.     

The main benefits that TPS can offer include double or triple the speed of any business process in productivity; build quality into product and workplace systems; eliminate the huge costs of hidden waste; and turn every employee into a quality control inspector [1]. 

In this paper, a simplified TPS Kaizen 5-Steps Movement is implemented in two pilot scale projects involving a pineapple plantation and an indoor hydroponics city farm. Both organisations are located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. Pineapple is the third most important tropical fruit in the world production after banana and citrus [4]. According to the data reported by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAOSTAT), the pineapple production quantity in Malaysia decreases from year 2015 until year 2017 as shown in the Figure 1. The decrease in production is mainly due to its labour intensive and other bottlenecks in their operations. Pineapple is also known as nanas in Malay language. Nanas Morris and Nanas Sawit are the two main types of pineapple planted in the plantation that took part in this study. Indoor hydroponics farm is quite a new method of planting leafy vegetable in Sarawak under a controlled environment and it is a more environmentally friendly mode of farming because no pesticide and chemical fertilizer are used. The products are also more hygiene and safe for human consumption. 

Previous studies have reported that improved efficiency on agricultural farm level can lead to cost reduction and revenue increment by continuously improving and strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of farms in long term [5]. Since the organisations participated in this study are still very young as they are founded in 2017, managers, supervisors and operators/workers are all new to pineapple cultivation and hydroponics farming, therefore, they need significant level of in-house training and educational briefing to improve their competency in farm operations. The researchers started to visit the farms frequently in the early stage to make direct observation at the farms in order to identify the weaknesses in the operations. On-site trainings are provided to the operators on TPS Kaizen and 5S every month. Regular meetings with the supervisors and managers are conducted in exploring ways to improve the farms’ productivity, workplace conditions and the morale of the workers. The researchers suggested to borrow the TPS from Japanese manufacturing industries, first modified/simplified it to be implemented in these agricultural sectors, aiming to set up an operational system that is based on continuous improvement philosophy for both products quality and workplaces safety. 

Since these are pioneer endeavours, there are limited studies which could provide evidence or “know-how” to substantiate or guide how TPS kaizen continuous improvement doctrine can be implemented in the agricultural sector. Therefore, this paper attempts to describe how a noble operational framework, based on TPS Kaizen 5-Steps Movement is applied in these two projects, aiming in helping both the pineapple farm and indoor hydroponics farm towards the goal of improving the workplace conditions, the morale of the workers and hence increased productivity of crops cultivation throughout its life-cycle.

Figure 1: Pineapple Production Quantity in Malaysia from Year 2014 to year 2018

Source: FAOSTAT

Literature Review

Kaizen: The late Dr. W. Edwards Deming is the creator of the concept of kaizen, or continuous improvement. Dr. Deming is an American statistician who made many visits to Japan in the years following World War II. Dr. Deming’s work was so widely regarded as the driving force behind the resurgence of the Japanese economy during this time that one of Japan’s most coveted awards was later named the Deming Prize. Ironically, American businesses showed little interest in Dr. Deming’s work until the late 1970s when Japanese exports began to make a marked impact on the economy.

Kaizen involves in making small improvements on a continuous basis. Kaizen, the synonym for continuous improvement, is an essential component of Japanese management system. Kaizen programs have long been employed with great success in Japanese companies. Imai [6] called Kaizen the key to Japanese competitive success. The benefits from kaizen implementation are numerous and are reported along both social and technical dimensions of organization and include cost reduction, productivity improvement, reduction in defects, and improvement in employees‟ morale and motivation [7]. It is kaizen, the Japanese business philosophy that says step-by-step improvement – process refinements and enhancements – are the surest, easiest, quickest road to maximizing productivity and quality. According to Imai [8], the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen assumes that our way of life should concentrate on the constant improvement of efforts in our working life, home life as well as social life. Kaizen means continuous improvement in Japanese, where “kai” means to change and “zen” means good or well. Masaaki Imai stressed in his book Gemba Kaizen, the word “Kaizen” signifies improvement that involves everyone – both managers and employees at the workplace. The concept of kaizen has the potential to cause the alignment necessary between management and employees to exist as it requires all employees to actively participate in continuous improvements [9]. In the book “Kaizen for the Shopfloor” created by The Productivity 

Table 1: Description of the 5S Workplace Management System

Press Development Team, it concludes that kaizen activities concentrate on each process and every operation for value-added mean and waste elimination. 

According to Hiroyoshi Yoshiki, standards are the basis for kaizen. If one has a standard and it is not being followed one has a problem [1]. Van et al.. [10] defines kaizen event as a focused and structured improvement project by using a dedicated cross-functional team to improve a targeted work area, with specific goals, in an accelerated time frame. The authors have suggested a framework to carry out kaizen events. The framework is primarily consisting of four phases: planning, implementing, sustaining and supporting. Furthermore, it is developed so it can be self-assessed in order to enhance particular topics and itself. The authors also conclude that the use of the framework as a layout and evaluation tool seemed to make the kaizen events program more effective in the case study organization(Table 1).

TPS Kaizen 5-Steps Movement – 5S 

5S is a philosophy and a way of organizing and managing the workspace and work flow with the intent to improve efficiency by eliminating waste, improving flow and reducing process un-reasonableness. The five-Step Kaizen Movement - 5S is a manufacturing technique for organizing a workplace and implementing lean condition. In Toyota, standards or standardization are the focus of all systematic improvement. The most visible standards are those associated with the 5S program: Seiri; Seiton; Seiso; Seiketsu; and Shitsuke. The basic 5S program is a teaching tool in the Toyota culture, and a building block toward more advanced standardization and problem solving [1]. Japanese 5S common-sense is developed by Hiroyuki Hirano. The concept of 5S concentrates on how the visual workplace can be used to eliminate inefficiencies, especially unnecessary wastes that have generated during the manufacturing process and to improve the work environment consistent with the tenets of Lean manufacturing systems. Besides, the occupational health and safety of workplace can also be enhanced through 5S practice. Hirano also indicates that without the successful implementation of 5S in the organization, the other Lean manufacturing tools are more likely to fail [11-12].

The literature highlights about 5-S and that an implementation of 5-S will enhance organizational efficiencies and improve overall performance of workers in the workplace. Sii [13] also mentions that 5S is a fusion of art and science of suiting or fitting the working areas to the employees. It is a method which is utilised for cultivating, maintaining and establishing a quality working environment in an organization [13].

Peterson and Smith [14] states that 5S is a system of steps or procedures and techniques that can be utilized by individuals and groups to arrange the workplace in the best method to optimise overall performance, comfort, safety, hygiene and cleanliness. Sii [13] defines 5-S in his book “Cultivating A Total Quality Culture- Using Japanese`s Common Sense 5S” as “the common sense in the fundamental study, design and maintenance of working environments and their components, work practices, and work procedures for the benefit of the worker`s productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, health, comfort and safety”. 

The Five-Step Kaizen Movement - 5S takes its name from the initials of five Japanese words that start with s: siri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke. As part of the visual management of an overall program, signs that repeat the steps are often posted in the workshop or office [6,15].

It is used to create a workplace suited for visual control and lean production. The pillars of 5S are simple to learn and important to implement:

Step 1

Seiri (straighten up or sorting) – Differentiate between the necessary and the unnecessary and discard the unnecessary.

• Work-in-process

• Unnecessary tools

• Unused machinery

• Defective products

• Papers and documents

Step 2

Seito (set in order or put things in order) – things must be kept in order so that they are ready for use when needed. An American mechanical engineer recalls that he used to spend hours searching for tools and parts when he worked in Cincinnati. Only after he joined a Japanese company and saw how easily the workers were able to find what they needed did he realize the value of seiton.

• Step 3: Seiso (shine or clean up) – Keep the workplace clean

• Step 4: Seiketsu (standardise or personal cleanliness) – Make it a habit to be clean and tidy, starting with your own person

• Step 5: Shitsuke (sustain or discipline) – Follow procedures in the workplace

Advantages after implementing the 5S have been found in a number of research papers, journals, articles and books. For instance, Agrahari, Dangle and Chandratre [15] conclude that implementation of 5S in the manufacturing company V.M. Auto Pvt. Ltd has increased efficiency and process growth, shortened the time needed for searching tools or items, reduced the cost of machine maintenance, decrease in the number of injured workers, caused better usage of the workplace, prevented the loss of tools and increased the number of customers. Furthermore, Peterson and Smith claims that implementing 5S within the organization has successfully decreased cycle times, lead times and search times, increased floor space improved working conditions, improved information access, better work team performance, improved delivery time, improved inventory management, improved work morale, and enhanced levels of commitment [5]. According to the author Nikhil Shil, the greatest benefits of successful implementation of the 5S are that it can increase efficiency and performance in an organization, boost work morale and create high quality impressions on customers [12]. The effect on continuous improvement can lead to faster lead times, quality improvement and waste reduction. Hence, the Five-Step Kaizen Movement - 5S framework is believed to be an essential quality technique and step for improving and optimising the efficiency as well as the overall performance of an organization.

The targets of Kaizen 5-Step Movement include: zero changeover leading to product or service diversification; zero defect leading to higher quality; zero waste leading to lower cost; zero delays leading to on time delivery; zero injuries promoting occupational health and safety at workplace; zero breakdowns bringing better maintenance.

 Pineapple Farming 

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a type of tropical plant which is the third most produced fruit in the world after bananas and citrus fruit [4]. According to the data retrieved from FAOSTAT [16], Malaysia is not one of the top 10 producers of pineapple around the world. This might be due to the insufficient technology-based knowledge and improper operational management within the farm. 

Wali [17] states that there are few factors contribute to the effective production of pineapple including rainfall, type of soil, drainage, temperature and nutrient requirement. Dorey et al.. [18] suggests a SIMPINA model to optimise pineapple Victoria (‘Queen’) management sequences on Reunion Island. SIMPINA model is a model of management sequences which is based on four indicators: yield, N leaching, prices of product, total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA) to estimate commercial, agronomic, fruit quality and environmental conditions. N leaching refers to temperature, rainfall, global radiation and practices such as planting date, irrigation, fertilization, planting density, date of forcing and sucker weight during planting. The study conducted shows that pineapple farmers can achieve a high level of productivity and fruit quality by using SIMPINA model to stimulate or improve their environmental criteria. However, other criteria should be taken into consideration in different production countries with other issues. 

Weeds are one of the main problems in obtaining high yields of pineapple as they compete with pineapple for nutrients, water and sunlight as well as serving as an alternate breeding place for pests or rodents [19]. The methods suggested by Arcelo [19] include preventive, cultural and chemical methods. Preventive method refers to the use of high quality and disease-free planting material; cultural methods refer to hand-weeding or hoe slashing while chemical methods means the use of herbicides or weedicides to kill the weeds with minimum or no harm to the pineapple. 

To stabilize production of pineapples, flower induction is recommended as it allows year-round production, ensures more uniform flowering and fruiting and gives a higher income especially during off-season. For small scale farms, the time of flower induction is determined by plant size which is approximately when the pineapples have 55 to 60 functional leaves [19]. 

Based on the literature, the researchers found out that there is limited research study on how to increase the production of pineapple in Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak which has plenty vacant farm lands. No literature can be sourced on the topic of how the integration of TPS kaizen and 5S program can be implemented within an agriculture related industries such as pineapple farming and their effectiveness and suitability.

Indoor Hydroponics Farm

Hydroponics: The term hydroponics was originally coined in the mid-20^th century. According to Smith,  “hydroponics” is a term used to express technique for growing plants in a soilless medium. The advantages of hydroponics gardening are that water and natural resources can be conserved as well as more crops production of healthy and nutritious vegetables and fruits in a more sustainable manner.

Hydroponics city indoor farm refers to the cultivation of crops in an urban, controlled indoor environment. Hydroponics means growing the plants without using soil, but by using water or nutrient-based solutions under environmentally controlled condition. There are five stages of hydroponic plant growth. To plant hydroponically, the first stage requires the seeds to be soaked in warm or cold water for 24 to 48 hours. Then, the seeds are placed in sponge and kept in a dark room for two to three days. The next stage involves the seedlings being transferred to germination racks. The seedlings are left there for 12 days. After that, the seedlings are transferred to PFAL (Plant Factory with Artificial Light) module. The duration for this stage is approximately 14 to 28 days (depending on the type of vegetables planted). The final stage is harvesting and packaging of the mature plants.

The hydroponics technology and indoor farming culture adopted by our collaborator is still considered new to the local community as well as to its own staff, hence, significant levels of in-house training and educational briefing are needed to boost up the productivity of the farm. In this juncture case, TPS tools such as kaizen & 5S methods is identified as one of the highly appropriate operational method to boost the farm’s productivity and workers’ health and safety.

In this research study, the investigation on how TPS kaizen and the Five-Step Kaizen Methods - 5S techniques can be implemented in both a pineapple plantation and an indoor hydroponics farm, with the overall aim of improving the operational productivity, the workers’ health and safety level, as well as to reduce waste generation. The aspect of ergonomics in the workplace is also taking into consideration such as the level of health and safety of workers would be identified and assessed based on the guidelines provided by Department of Occupational Safety and Health [20], Malaysia. According to the literature review that application of ergonomic principles in the workplace can improve the performance of an organisation [21]. 

This research starts with literature reviews on related field according to a number of journals, articles, books, theses and dissertations or conference papers. Then, it is followed by identifying the existing problems encountered and the waste produced within the operations of the farms. In the early part of the study, a series of site visit to the collaborators’ farms is conducted to identify the existing problems encountered and the waste generated in the farm operations. Case study method is employed in this study through observation or direct observation of the working process and structured personal interviews with the management personnel and employees in the farms. Questionnaires are also distributed to the management teams and employees to understand their awareness of quality and productivity. This step is helpful to the researchers in identifying the problems in the farm operations and looking for opportunities for improvement by implementing TPS approaches.

After identifying the operational short-comings and their related possible causes, a few sessions of in-house training concerning quality and productivity are provided to the workers/operators and supervisors. Then, it is time to use TPS principles to develop solutions to eradicate the root causes of problems and wastes generation. Before the implementation of TPS, it is crucial to communicate the implantation processes with all the workers and supervisors in order to gain their full support and cooperation. The approaches such as time and motion study method and assessment of ergonomics in the workplace are suggested and all the employees are trained to gain full understanding of the methods/tools used in this study. If the workers follow the ergonomics principles in the workplace, the risk of getting hurt as well as the workers` medical claims can be minimized. For time and motion study method, a stopwatch time study is preferred. Hence, these two suggested approaches are essential in in providing measurement of the operational performance quantitatively, which are crucial in suggesting potential solutions to overcome the existing operational problems. This step is vital to explore some opportunities to use TPS Kaizen approach to improve operational productivity, and to eliminate wastes in terms of resources including time, manpower, and materials.

Then, the best possible solutions of TPS Kaizen approach for improvement will be selected. It is then followed by implementing the Kaizen and the Five-Step Kaizen Methods - 55 techniques. The implementation process will briefly be introduced and the outcomes of implementing TPS kaizen will be further discussed in the ensuing section. These steps are believed to eliminate the waste found within the operation; and to implement 5S and evaluate the 5S after a period of implementation. Eventually, the results upon implementation in term of operational productivity will be assessed and evaluated to determine the effectiveness of implementing Kaizen and Kaizen 5-Step Movement in the field of agriculture-based operations.

Case Study Method

Yin [22] has defined case study as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident. Several methods and tools which are frequently used to gather data from a number of units by a direct observer can be utilized to conduct case study. The data collection result will not be influenced by any experimental control or manipulations [23]. 

The case study can be conducted either in a qualitative or quantitative approach. The purpose is to fully understand the phenomenon that has been studied in a real-life situation, in which the research is the implementation and assessment of the TPS kaizen approach in a pineapple farm. Besides, it is crucial to ensure that the accumulation of multiple entities as supporting evidences to make sure that the data gathered are correct and trustable [23]. Thus, observation and personal interviews methods are required to carry out in order to ensure the validity and truthfulness of data obtained. 

According to Meredith [23], the case study method has several disadvantages, for instance, the requirements that are required to carry out the method such as the time usage, cost, access to information obstacles and the need for utilising several methods and entities for surveying. Hence, these disadvantages must be considered before carrying out the observation study and personal interview.

Observation/Direct Observation Method

Robson [24] has defined observation as a natural and obvious technique to examine the real-world context. Effectiveness is the major benefit of direct observation as the only requirement is to observe and listen with no questions are required when carrying out observation. Nevertheless, the researcher needs to be concerned about the risk of interpreting a condition or situation in the wrong manner. Observation method can be supportive in complementing and setting data in perspective. The evidence that obtained via observation method is often useful in providing additional information [22]. 

In this research project, direct observation method is favourably preferred especially during conducting personal interviews. This is because direct observation is used to analyse and substantiate or justify the interviews. Impressions and insights of the interviewee during the interviews will only be captured directly by observation on the spot. Furthermore, the observation obtained contributes towards a deeper understanding to the research study particularly when visiting the collaborator’s farm, the existing or current problems present in the farm can be identified through observation. The researchers should observe the overall working process in the farm and it is necessary to record every detail from the beginning until the end of the operational processes based on direct observation.

Interviews Method

Interviews are widely utilized as a research method [24]. There are three categories of interviews which are structured, semi-structured and unstructured. In this research, a structured personal interview method is more preferable than others in order to obtain more in-depth answers from the interviewee or respondents. Otterlei and Myrold [12] claim that the advantages of using structured personal interview are that the reactions that respondents might have can be observed by the interviewer and also the respondents can be convinced by the interviewer to answer all the questions. This further secures that the respondents are able to understand the questions and thus misunderstandings can be avoided throughout the structured personal interview session. 

Ergonomic Hazards

Hamid et al.. [25] stated that an ergonomic hazard is a physical factor within the working environment that give harmful effect to the musculoskeletal system which include repetitive movement, manual handling, workplace layout design, poor body posture and uncomfortable workstation height. Ergonomic issues also relate to the equipment or tools used, noise, lighting and workspaces. The researchers concern on these ergonomic issues among the workers in of the farm as the past studies indicated that work performance and productivity of the employees will decrease if workers suffer from ergonomic health risk. Hence, the researchers suggest to consider ergonomics principle and ergonomic risk assessment (ERA) in the workplace as one of the main components included in this study. 

The researchers plan to conduct interview with the workers of the agricultural farm in order to investigate and assess the ergonomics hazards within the workplace. The initial ERA sheet will be prepared based on the guidelines provided by Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia [20] and distributed to the workers during interview session. All the results obtained will be tabulated and discussed. The appropriate ways proposed to solve the ergonomics hazards within the work place will be outlined based on the results obtained.

In this section only the outcomes of implementing 5S - TPS Kaizen 5-Steps Movement in two pilot scale, agriculture-based projects are discussed in details. The first project is conducted in an indoor hydroponics city farm and the second project is carried at a pineapple plantation. 

Case Study 1: An Indoor Hydroponics City Farm 

In this case study, the Five-Step Kaizen Movement, 5S is implemented in the operation of our collaborator’s indoor hydroponic city farm. The 5S Kaizen movement started with problem identification by using direct observation at workplace and having interview with workers and manager. This is followed by a series of briefing provided to the workers and manager to ensure they understand the purpose of implementing 5S and the importance of their participation. Then the 5 steps of the 5S movement are implemented one step in a week to allow workers to allow workers to from a new habit at workplace.

Problems Identification

Upon observations made at the workplace, the following problems are identified:

• No proper utilization of storage for raw material

• It is tedious to locate the right type of seeds for daily germination

• It takes time to find the right type of seedlings for transplanting from darkroom to planting row

• No proper labelling of type of vegetable at planting rows (PFAL)               

Implementation of 5S Kaizen Movement

Step 1: seiri (sort) - The main focus of this step is to sort or clear the necessary from the unnecessary items in one’s workplace and eliminate waste or unnecessary items. All the necessary and unnecessary items available in the working area must be sorted and classified accordingly. Several guidelines and rules for performing Step 1 are listed below:

• Eliminate all the unnecessary items which causes the mixing of things

• Put back all the necessary item to its original position after use

• Organize the items according to the frequency of their usage 

• Check whether all necessary items are sorted in its own position

• To place frequently used items near to reach

• Work-in-process, finished product and rejected need to be separated

• To remove workplace clutter and freeing up valuable

Outcomes after implementing Step 1:

• The production flow in the working area is greatly enhanced and the utilization of space is maximized as well

• By eliminating the unnecessary items, the working bench/desk becomes neat and tidy which may enhance the employees` daily task performances

• Workers can identify the materials, equipment or necessary items easily through sorting

• A clean and organized workplace improves the efficiency of searching and reaching for items required, thus, the operation running time is shortened

Step 2: seiton (straighten or put things in order) - The main emphasis is on effective organizing what was left after Step 1, i.e., the necessary items in the workplace. The remaining necessary items should be organized neatly and systematically for easy retrieval and return to the designated locations after being used. 

Several guidelines and rules are outlined:

• Label every item and its storage area clearly

• Do not stack all the items together

• Use racks or shelves to organize the items

• Use see-through containers to store items for better visibility

• Put all the important material or equipment in an accessible position

• Put names on the containers of nutrient solution

• All tools or equipment must be separated accordingly on the basis of frequency of use

Outcomes after implementing Step 2: 

• The efficiency of workers is increased and the time required for searching for necessary items is shortened

• All the items such as seed packets are stored in orderly manner by using see-through container with label instead of plastic bags. This action can ease the effort needed to look for the required items without opening the plastic bags which can reduce the retrieval time

• Labelling is done on the germination racks and nutrient solution containers. The workers are able to identify the things that they require easily by referring to the label attached on the racks

• Every item is organized and arranged in systematic manner so that the workplace is neat and tidy and hence the overall performance of organisation is improved

Step 3

Seiso (Shine or Cleaning): This step focus on the thoroughly cleaning of workplace. It ensures a safer and comfortable working environment for workers as well as a better visibility in order to reduce the retrieval time and enhance the quality of task performance [15]. It is vital to create a clean and tidy working environment because dust, wastes and dirt can affect the efficiency of the workplace. The workers` morale and productivity of the whole organization are believed to be reduced if there is no clean working environment. Listed below are the guidelines and rules to perform Shine:

• Clean the work floor on daily basis

• Provide necessary cleaning to each water channel piping on the planting rows on weekly basis

• Every employee must bear the responsibility to carry out cleaning process

• Cleanliness at workplace must be maintained at all time

• If found any dirt such as nutrient solution leaks must be cleaned immediately to avoid any slip or fall of workers

• To implement daily follow-up cleaning process as it is absolutely essential to maintain a clutter-free workplace and a desirable working environment as stated by Agrahari et al. [15].

Preparation of a checklist for the organisation to monitor the cleaning progress carried out by each worker on daily and weekly basis. Agrahari et al. [15] stresses that the checklists must serve as visual signpost to make sure that the daily cleaning requirements are conducted habitually as best practices in the workplace.

Outcomes after implementing Step 3:

• The working environment for workers is greatly enhanced and hence the workers are able to enjoy working in a clean and safe workplace

• The efficiency of task performance will increase

• The maintenance cost for equipment can be reduced if basic cleaning and maintenance is done regularly

• By cleansing the inner part of the water channel piping, the growth or formation of mosses or lichens can be prohibited

• The water flow in the entire planting row system is recycled all the time. If no proper cleaning process has been carried out for the water channel piping, the water being recycled will be contaminated as well Consequently, this will affect the growth of the plants and the productivity of the crops as well. Thus, it is recommended to clean the water channel piping on weekly basis

• The work floor are clean all the time and this will avoid any accident such as slip or fall of workers

Stpe 4

Seiketsu (Standardize): This step concentrates on standardizing. According to Kumar, continuous implementation of the above 5S Kaizen Movement will ensure a high standard of workplace and therefore after implementing the first three steps of 5S practices, it is paramount to focus on standardizing the best practices all the time. In order to standardize, the standard operation procedures (SOP) of the production flow and simple daily checklists must be prepared and displayed visibly at every corner of the working area. This is further supported by Agrahari et al. [15]. The checklists prepared must be signed by every worker and validated by the upper management personnel such as operation manager or general manager in the organisation. It is to ensure that 5S Kaizen Movement’s practices and guidelines as stated earlier are adopted and performed regularly or habitually by every personnel who is responsible in carrying his or her specific tasks as the best practices in the workplace. 

Outcomes after implementing Step 4:

• By applying the standardized practices, the operation and the production flow of the organisation is improved as better workplace standards are established such as rules and standard operation procedure

• The other benefits includes maintaining the good habits among the employees about cleanliness and the operation efficiency is thus further enhanced

• A neat and orderly maintained workplace

Step 5

Shitsuke (Sustain or Self-Discipline): The final step in 5S Kaizen Movement is to sustain. Sustain in another word means to maintain. Sustain is a good habit that continually improve the organization`s culture and performance. To maintain the above 5S practices, the researchers suggested to organize regular retraining sessions related to 5S techniques and practices for every personnel in the organization. Chugani et al. also highlighted that developing awareness related to the importance of 5S through retraining, reward and recognition of the efforts and participation of employees is essential to fulfil the requirement in the Step 5. Therefore, the manager of the company must organize a program regarding the 5S techniques and rules at least once every quarterly for the workers. Workers are also encouraged to participate the training program. 

Outcomes after implementing Step 5: 

• After performing Step 5, the benefits obtained include the workers` morale and awareness on 5S are increased

• Operational errors or mistakes of the workers are obviously reduced

• The relationship between workers is improved as the internal communication processes are enhanced

Summary of Case study #1:

• Upon implementation of Kaizen 5S Movement, a positive workplace culture is developed in the indoor hydroponic farm

• The production flow becomes smooth and the overall performance of the organisation has improved

• The teamwork between employees and management is fostered through the implementation of 5S approach

Case Study 2: A Pineapple Plantation

Problems Identification: Every kaizen program proposed is aimed to improve operational productivity and reduce waste found within the operational processes. There are a few problems identified during a series of site visit to the pineapple farm in the early phase of this study. Four main operational problems that significantly challenged the farm’s operational viability are discussed here.

Weeding 

One of the most common problems found is weeding as shown in Figure 3. Weeding has to be carried out manually as mechanical aim will cause damage to the pineapple plants which are cultivated close to each other. Using of herbicide is avoided as it is not environmental-friendly and herbicide can cause damage to the leaves of the plant too. Moreover, weeding has to be done frequently which is at least once every two months. It takes a worker at least ten days to complete an acre of land. A worker`s daily wage is RM50. Every round of weeding requires RM500 per worker. Meanwhile, pineapples require 10 months to flowering which indicates that it needs five rounds of weeding. Thus, the labour cost to do weeding is RM2500/acre.

Drainag

Pineapple is highly sensitive to water stagnation and high moisture content in the planting bed. Thus, it is vital to provide a good drainage system. According to the data retrieved from Department of Drainage and Irrigation Sarawak, Sibu has a high average rainfall days per year. The highest rainfall days is about 20 days and the least is about 12 days in a month. Therefore, the humidity level is always high and water stagnation is hard to prevent especially in peat soil region. Based on the initial observation made by the researchers during site visits, there is poor drainage along every row of pineapple plant cultivated as shown in Figure 3. This would greatly slow down the growth of the crops and hence the productivity of the pineapple crop is seriously jeopardized.

Figure 2: Growth of Weeds around Pineapples

Figure 3: Poor Drainage System

Figure 4: Planting pineapple process

Figure 5: Illustration of the Planting Bed with Drainage and PVC Sheets

Land Preparation for Pineapple Farming

Before planting, the weeds, pebbles and unwanted material should be removed from the planting field. The land is ploughed before planting followed by levelling. The land should be ploughed several times as the soil attains fine tilth and also smooth texture. After ploughing and levelling, the planting holes are prepared and each planting hole should be about 15 to 25 cm deep. All the above jobs are done manually before introducing 2K5S approach. There are several operational constraints observed by the researchers. The main constraints of these tasks are time consuming and labour intensive. For instance, it takes two labours one month to complete all the tasks required for one acre of planting ground. For the labour cost of RM50 per person per day, it costs about RM3000 per month. Since the work done by labour manually, the planting field is not uniformly ploughed. The levelling is also difficult to reach optimum level to provide good drainage as no planting bed is prepared.

Planting of Pineapple Manually

The researchers observed that to plant one pineapple would take a worker five minutes which include to dig a planting hole of around 15 to 25cm depth with a stick, then place the sucker in the planting hole and backfill the hole with soil to ensure the plant is securely anchored in the planting hole. Since the plants of pineapple have shallow roots, the roots are prone to the lodging. If plants get lodged during the development of fruit, then it will result the uneven fruit development and also the irregular growth of the fruit.

Implementation of TPS Kaizen 5-Steps Kaizen Movement

In order to solve the problem identified in the farm operations, a simplified TPS Kaizen 5-Steps Movement approaches is implemented to improve the farm operational processes. The project of implementation of TPS Kaizen is carried out in a few stages with specific programs over a period of 1 year (due to the outspread of Covid-19, the whole exercise took more than one and hail year to complete) (Figure 4).

TPS Kaizen Program 1

The first TPS Kaizen program proposed is to apply Kaizen approach in introducing one small step of improvement at one time. In this kaizen program the use of planting bed with drainage on both side of the bed is introduced. In addition, PVC sheet is also introduced to cover the top of the planting bed before planting. This is to prevent weed from growing on the bed and save the labour cost for weeding throughout the pineapple life cycle. The cost of PVC sheet is estimated RM400 for an acre of land and this can reduce 84% of the labour cost needed in carrying out weeding which incurred RM2500/acre. Figure 5 shows the illustration of the planting bed with drainage and PVC sheets.

There are multiple advantages observed through this kaizen program. No weeding and application of herbicide are needed throughout the whole farm; good drainage system developed to ensure healthier growth of the pineapple crops and also provide convenient way of application of fertilizer by using PVC tubes. These positive outcomes not only improve the productivity of the operations, they enhanced the quality of the crop and they are all environmentally friendly too.

TPS Kaizen 2

The second TPS Kaizen program proposed is to apply Kaikaku concept in introducing intermediate improvement in term of utilizing a new technology to the current operations. The main objective of this program is to improve land preparation, especially improvement of soil quality of the planting beds because this new approach will ensure that soil on the planting beds is thoroughly and evenly ploughed. This will provide adequate oxygen to the roots of pineapple suckers and also prevent access water from being locked up in the planting beds. Since the planting ground is not ploughed uniformly as it is carried out by labour manually before. The use of a Kubota, a mini farm excavator under Kaikaku program provides an incremental innovative structural change to the overall operational practice. By using a Kubota mini farm excavator, it takes ten days to complete the jobs mentioned earlier including preparation of planting beds and drainage at the same time. Consequently, the time and labour cost needed for land preparation as well as pre-planting preparation would be greatly reduced. This provided a leap to the operations. 

TPS Kaizen Program 3

The third TPS Kaizen program proposed is to introduce kaizen and 5S (Kaizen 5-Steps Movement) principles to improve the planting performance of workers qualitatively and quantitatively and reduce the worker`s tiredness which may decrease the work performance and at the same time to improve workers’ occupational health and safety level. A new worker deployment for planting is proposed.

Figure 6: Unorganized Items at Main Site Office

Figure 7: Items are Arranged Neatly under the Tables

Two workers for planting instead of one as more hand make the work lighter and faster. One worker is assigned to prepare planting holes while another worker is assigned to put the pineapple sucker into the planting holes and backfill them with soil. This is to ensure good anchorage obtained and it takes less than two minutes to plant one pineapple. Moreover, based on the ergonomics principles in the workplace, the workers` frequency of kneeling down and stand up is greatly reduced and hence this will significantly reduce the chance of injuries to the workers` back and knee. Their work performance is thus believed to be enhanced.

This section focuses on outcomes achieved after implementing TPS Kaizen Program 3, i.e., Kaizen 5-Step Movement – 5S visual management of the workplace. 

Step 1

Seiri (Sort): The first S in 5S focuses on eliminating waste or unnecessary items in the working area. All the necessary and unnecessary items available in the working area must be segregated, sorted, labelled and placed or stored at its specific place accordingly. In this way, the materials, equipment and necessary items can be easily identified and reached. Frequently used items or tools are placed at place close to reach. The researchers have designed several guidelines and rules for performing the first step in 5S as listed below:

• Eliminate all the unnecessary items 

• Put back all the necessary item to its original position after use

• Organize the items according to the frequency of their usage 

Figure 8: Fertilizers are placed at the Walkway of the Main Site Office

Figure 9: Storage Room is built to Store Fertilizers and other Equipment

Figure 10: Limited space for Workers to Grade the Harvested Pineapples

• Check whether all necessary items are sorted in its own position daily

• After use items are put back to their respective place for storage

The positive outcomes of conducting the first step of 5S are that the housekeeping in the workplace is greatly improved and the space utilization is maximized as well. Figure 6 until Figure 11 indicate the outcome of before and after implementing the first step of 5S. The red circled in Figure 6 shows that all the items are just left unorganized beside the main site office before implementing TPS Kaizen program. In Figure 8 and Figure 9, it is obvious to notice that few sacks of fertilizers are placed at the walkway in front of the main site office which might cause hazards to the workers carrying out their job in an awkward position. Due to the limited space of the main site office, the researchers have suggested to add extra tables and build one low-cost storage room for storing equipment and materials as shown in Figure 10 

Figure 11: Grading Harvested Pineapple at the Extra Table Built Beside the Main Site Office

and Figure 11. By eliminating the unnecessary items, the main site office becomes neat and tidy which provides a more friendly surrounding for the workers.

Step 2

Seiton (Straighten or Put Things in Order): The second step of 5S, which is Straighten or Seiton, emphasizes effective storage, safety and efficiency which consequently improves the appearance of the working area. After the first step of 5S has been implemented successfully, the remaining necessary items should be organized neatly and systematically for ease of retrieval and return to the designated locations after being used. The purpose of doing this is to reduce the work load that a worker has to carry out during operation in particular while they need to look for the tools or equipment and this helps to improve the efficiency of production in the workplace. Hence, labelling processes are essential in this step as this permits the workers to identify the materials or equipment or tools in a much faster and most effective way. 

The researchers have set several guidelines and rules for Step 2 of 5S:

• Label every item and its storage area clearly

• Label each block of pineapple with the date being planted and manured

• Put all the important material or equipment in an accessible position 

• All tools or equipment must be separated accordingly to the basis of frequency of use

The positive outcomes of implementing the second step of 5S are that the efficiency of workers is improved because the time required in searching for necessary items is shortened. As exemplified in Figure 12 and Figure 13, each block of pineapple is well labelled with its type and date being planted or manured so that the workers are able to execute their daily job precisely following the work schedule. This provide a clear visual management which significantly reduce the effort needed by the workers in looking for the right block of pineapples to be manured or undergone hormone application as scheduled. Figure 16 demonstrates a scheduled time table for hormone application is prepared and pinned at the wall of the main site office to remind the workers to perform their task on time so that the flowering and maturing of pineapples can be well monitored and controlled. According to Agrahari, Dangle and Chandratre [15], there is no human energy waste or excess inventory if the orderliness is established within the working area.  

Figure 12: Label the Type of Pineapple at Each Block

Figure 13: Label the Date of Pineapple Being Planted and Manured

Figure 14: Label Different Type of Pesticides and Fertilizers

Figure 15: Label Different Weight of Harvested Pineapples

Since the workers are always find it confusing with various types of pesticides or fertilizers used in the farm. Thus, the researchers have recommended to label every pesticide and fertilizer used with pictures for better identification and retrieval for the workers as depicted in Figure 14. Furthermore, labels of various grades of pineapple based on different range of weight are prepared on posters and are placed at the pineapples grading area as shown in Figure 15. Each harvested pineapple must be weighed before delivering to local markets for sell. Labelling enables the workers to segregate the pineapples into different categories by weight accurately. By carrying out the second step in 5S, every item is well organized and arranged in systematic manner so that the workplace is neat and tidy. This is helpful to improve the overall performance of workers.

Figure 16: Schedule For Application of Hormone is Pinned at the wall of Main Site Office

Step 3

Seiso (shine or cleaning): The third step in 5S is Shine or Seiso. It refers to thoroughly cleaning up the workplace to ensure a safe and comfortable working environment as well as better visibility in order to reduce the retrieval time of items and enhance the quality of job performance. It is crucial to establish a clean and tidy working environment because wastes and dirt can affect the efficiency of the workplace. The workers` morale and productivity of the whole organization are believed to be reduced if there is no clean and hygienic working environment. Thus, the researchers suggest to implement daily follow-up cleaning process as it is absolutely essential to maintain a clutter-free workplace and a desirable working environment. Some guidelines and rules are suggested by the researchers to perform Shine:

• Clean the work floor of main site office on daily basis

• Every worker must bear the responsibility to carry out cleaning process

• Cleanliness must be practiced daily

• Rubbish must be disposed properly

• The empty sack of fertilizers must be kept and reused for waste disposal

• The empty ANNA hormone for pineapple containers must be kept for recycling purpose

• The Kubota mini farm excavator must be cleaned on weekly basis

Outcomes after implementing Step 3:

• A much-improved workplace and organized planting field

• A neat and tidy workplace 

• A welly organized and planned planting field

• The operational productivity of the workers is improved

Figure 17: Checklists for Each Block of Pineapples

• The maintenance cost for equipment or machinery such as the Kubota mini farm excavator can be reduced as all routine basic cleaning and maintenance is done regularly

Stpe 4

Seiketsu (Standardize): The fourth step in 5S is Standardize. Continuous implementation of the above four steps will ensure a high standard of workplace and standardizing the best practices at all time is essential. Standard operation procedures (SOP) of the production flow and simple daily checklists must be prepared and displayed visibly at every corner of the workplace and planting field. The checklists prepared must be signed by every worker and validated by the upper management personnel such as operation manager or general manager in the organization. For instance, every worker is required to fill in the checklist for each block of pineapple once they have completed their tasks. Figure 17 shows the checklists of each block of pineapples are displayed visibly at the front of the main site office. It is to ensure that the 5S practices and guidelines as stated earlier are performed regularly or habitually by every worker who is responsible in carrying his or her specific tasks as the best practices in the workplace. 

Outcomes after implementing Step 4:

• Adopting the standardize practices such as SOP and rules help in maintaining a good coherency in operational processes
• The workplace is maintained in neat and orderly manner at all time
• The workers are capable to maintain good habit about good housekeeping practice

Step 5

Shitsuke (Sustain or Self-Discipline): The final step in 5S Kaizen Movement is Sustain. A good habit that continually improve the organization`s culture and performance is sustained. This can only be achieved through regular quality training program for every worker as developing awareness related to the importance of 5S through retraining, reward and recognition of the efforts shown by the employees is essential to fulfil the requirement in the fifth step in 5S. 

Outcomes after implementing Step 5: 

• Workers are more familiarised in TPS Kaizen 5-Step movement

• Operational mistakes made by the workers are reduced

• Team work spirit among the workers is strengthened as their relationship improved

To sum up, upon implementation of visual management incorporated with Kaizen 5-Steps Movement approaches have witnessed positive impacts towards the operational productivity and workers’ morale in the pineapple farming. The production flow becomes smooth and the overall performance of the organization has remarkably improved. Additionally, it was found that the teamwork spirit between the workers and management team was fostered through the implementation of TPS Kaizen 5-Steps Movement approaches. 

This research study describes the outcomes of implementation of a simplified TPS Kaizen 5-Step Movement -5S methods in two agriculture-based operations using case study method. An indoor hydroponics city farm and another pineapple planting farm are involved in this study. The outcomes of this study have witnessed that TPS Kaizen 5-Step Movement, originally designed for Toyota automobile manufacturing is equally practical and effective when applied in agricultural sectors. It only requires small steps to achieve a continuous improvement in operations or other process-related activities. In order to make successful Kaizen system most important factors are workers’ participation and commitment and close support from top management. Kaizen finds problems as golden opportunities for improvements with minimum or no capital investment is required. Kaizen creates a working atmosphere where workers’ ideas and suggestions are valued. Work environment becomes more enjoyable resulting in job satisfaction of the workers and higher workers’ morale. It can enrich the work experience and bring out the best in every worker. Benefits of implementing TPS Kaizen 5-Steps Movement include identify abnormalities in operational processes; promote everyone to participate; improve workplace safety; improve productivity; identify wastes and reduce the wastes.

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