Lean Warehouse Management in a General Affairs Support Function: Integrating 5S and Layout Redesign at PT. XYZ

Abstract

Warehouses that support administrative functions are often managed informally, although their performance affects the efficiency of daily organizational operations. This study analyzes warehouse management problems in the General Affairs (GA) warehouse of PT. XYZ and formulates improvement strategies from an industrial management perspective by integrating the 5S methodology with warehouse layout redesign. A descriptive qualitative case study was conducted through direct observation, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, an observation checklist, and stock-taking. The findings reveal unorganized and unzoned storage, unlabeled racks, oversized items placed on the floor, irregular housekeeping, damaged and obsolete items mixed with active stock, the absence of standard operating procedures, and discrepancies between physical and recorded inventory, such as a shortage of seven units in one stationery item and a surplus of five units in another. The proposed improvements apply the five 5S principles (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain), establish five functional storage zones with a rack-shelf location code, standardize inventory procedures, and redesign the layout of the 4.0 m x 1.8 m warehouse using SketchUp to increase vertical storage capacity and create a dedicated circulation path. The integrated proposal is expected to improve inventory accuracy, shorten item searching time, and optimize storage utilization without major capital investment. This study extends Lean Warehouse practice to administrative support functions and offers a low-cost improvement model for managers of small warehouses with diverse inventories.