Sensei Koichi Kimura, Prologue about 5S:

I have been working in overseas countries more than 25 years and from a certain time I began to have a doubt and concern which 5S might be misunderstood by the overseas countries. I teach 5S, but as one part of the factory control. But in the overseas countries it might be thought that 5S itself is the factory management. And as the result, only the introduction of 5S is the sufficient base for the implementation of (for instance) TPM, (Total Productive Maintenance and Management). It is wrong and not in good condition for developing company. In the overseas 5S is very well known by the medium and smaller industries rather than Japan. And seemingly it is conveyed wrongly or insufficiently.