Successful 5S implementation at Urban arrow: from pioneering to structure
Urban Arrow, pioneer in electric cargo bikes, grew in a short time from a start-up in the heart of Amsterdam to A mature organization with its own production in Amsterdam and Lithuania. That growth brought not only success but also challenges: how do you maintain structure, calm and efficiency as the organization grows larger in turbo mode?
Why urban arrow chose 5s
Urban Arrow is part of Pon.Bike, the world's largest premium bicycle manufacturer. Within Pon.Bike we have already had the opportunity to guide and support several improvement programs on behalf of 5S-Company. Such as: workplace organization (5S), safety, continuous improvement, TWI and process optimization. All steps towards a learning organisation. This approach delivered great results at Gazelle (5S white paper Lean journey Gazelle) and even the successful establishment of a completely new factory of Pon.Bike in Lithuania (Lean journey new Pon.Bike factory in Lithuania).
Floris Lievestro, operations project manager at Pon.Bike, was recruited to guide this process. Previously, he had been closely involved in successful 5S implementations, including at Gazelle in Dieren and at the factory in Lithuania. "From those experiences we knew: this works. So we wanted to do the same at Urban Arrow," Floris says.
At Urban Arrow, a pioneering mentality prevailed in the early years. A small, close-knit group of employees worked passionately on innovative bicycles, with creativity and speed at the core. But as the company grew, there was a need for more structure and professionalism in the operation.
Operations director Daan Scheltes has been involved with Urban Arrow from the beginning and has witnessed its growth up close. Nowadays, his responsibility lies mainly in securing and following up improvement programs. He looks back: "The consequences of that growth became increasingly visible: valuable time was lost as employees searched for parts and many departments had developed their own way of working. It was time to bring structure."
The planned renovation of the factory offered the perfect starting point for this. Not only to redesign the hall, but also to future-proof the way of working, fully in line with the 5S working method that is successfully rolling out within Pon.Bike worldwide.
"5S is the basis for working in a structured way." - Floris Lievestro
The approach to 5S implementation at Urban Arrow
The conversion took place in December 2024 and January 2025. Since production was relatively low during this period, this was the right time to start. "We formed a core team of eight employees," says Floris. Consultant and co-owner of 5S-Company, Patrick Kalshoven, guided the team: in the morning they received theory, in the afternoon they immediately put it into practice. Before the renovation, all materials were sorted and cleaned up so that the new environment could start clean. After the remodeling, we could immediately proceed with the next steps of 5S.
How Urban Arrow creates support for 5S
As with any change, there was skepticism in the beginning. Within several departments there was initially the question of whether 5S would add value, or just be seen as additional rules.
Daan explains, "Thanks to Patrick's approach, the focus quickly shifted from rules to personal benefits. Less searching, more peace and overview: when employees experienced this for themselves, the resistance gradually disappeared. 5S-Company did not stand on the sidelines with a checklist, but put on overalls and worked with them on the floor. Because of this, it doesn't feel like control, but rather coaching. It was precisely this critical outside view, but in an equal way, that made the difference.
To increase support, we took supervisors to Animals and Lithuania during implementation. There they saw for themselves how 5S was applied. It's better to take someone with background information than to start blank. It gave confidence to see with their own eyes how it worked there. They discovered that 5S is not a temporary method, but a structural way of working that delivers results."
The Role of 5S-Company
Floris Lievestro fulfilled a double role: on the one hand as internal supervisor of the project, and on the other hand as coach who enthusiastically brought people along. "I am not someone who omnisciently tells how things should be done; I use my expertise to make it clear how effective 5S can be in practice." Patrick from 5S-Company brought the crucial outside perspective to this. "When I say, 'At Gazelle it works like this,' people say, 'Yeah, but we're not Gazelle.' Patrick can say, 'I also did this in a steel mill with eight people.' Look, here are the before and after pictures.' That convinces."
Results that count
The numbers don't lie; where before we produced mainly in cell structure we are now in line working with a flexible output in terms of type of bikes. Due to these changes in structure we realize 25 to 50% more production than in the old situation. "That's not because people are running harder, but because we are organizing smarter and working more efficiently," Daan said.
According to Daan, the effect goes beyond just more output: "The new way of working also gives much more flexibility. Where we were previously stuck with a tight schedule, we can now easily shift between Family and B2B bikes, because everything is clearly arranged. In addition, we now work with the whole team in one hall instead of two. Where once there was literally a wall, there is now more contact, collaboration and even shared music. Day starts and weekly meetings reinforce that."
Floris adds: "I have now done this implementation process twice before, so I knew what it could deliver. At Urban Arrow it turned out the way we envisioned: more efficiency, more structure and a more relaxed environment. You immediately notice that people can work more pleasantly as a result, and that's ultimately what you do it for."
One of the Urban Arrow founders, who stepped down a year earlier, saw the difference immediately: "Compliments, what a huge improvement over a year ago."
From 5S implementation to continuous improvement at Urban Arrow
At 5S-Company, we believe that cleaning up alone is not enough. The real difference only occurs when improvements are secured and become part of the daily way of working. That's why at Urban Arrow we have been committed to continuous improvement (Kaizen) from the beginning. We introduced day starts, weekly improvement meetings and a 5S/Safety-app where employees can post their reports and ideas directly.
"Thanks to this structure, 5S is not a one-time action but a culture. The 5S app combined with CiCloudPro plays a key role in this. Anyone can now report on 5S or safety via QR codes in the hall. Small improvements are visible and picked up quickly. Employees notice that their contribution makes an immediate difference and that increases involvement. Slowly a culture of continuous improvement emerged. It became visible when a colleague said, "I am now proud of my workplace and would like to show this to friends and family. That was a pretty remarkable turning point," says Daan.
The future of 5S at Urban Arrow
For Urban Arrow, the coming period revolves around two words: sustain and grow. Because 5S is not a project with a checkmark at the end, but a way of working that takes shape every day.
According to Daan, this happens very concretely: "We complete several areas of improvement every week, but also add new ones all the time. That way we keep moving forward, one step at a time. Later this year there will be another audit with Patrick. Then we will set goals toward 2026 and see where we stand. That way progress remains alive and measurable."
The cooperation within Pon.Bike provides additional momentum in this regard. Factories like Gazelle and Pon.Bike Lithuania have already completed their own 5S trajectory, Urban Arrow joined a little later. "That makes us like-minded," explains Daan. "We are taking the same steps, each at our own pace. That opens the door to share knowledge and inspire each other."
And then there is something that is perhaps most valuable: pride. Employees no longer feel like implementers, but co-thinkers. Floris smiles: "5S has brought us peace and structure, but also fun. It's no longer about rules, but about building something together that works."
MEET URBAN ARROW
Urban Arrow builds high-quality electric cargo bikes.Each bike is designed with your daily rides in mind: from school rides to city transportation or deliveries. The goal? To improve your life while making urban areas cleaner, quieter and more efficient. Urban Arrow is part of Pon.Bike, the bicycle arm of Pon Holdings. This is one of the largest mobility groups in the Netherlands, with well-known brands such as: Swapfiets, Gazelle, Cannondale, Cervélo and Kalkhoff.
"Thanks to 5S, we have created an efficient flow and experience peace in the workplace; not as in lazy, but as in comfortable working."
Thus, at Urban Arrow, 5S grows into more than a method: it is an organizational culture in which efficiency, structure and pride are forever built in. Or rather: cycled in. 😉 And while Urban Arrow continues to grow, in the meantime we have also been trusted by Cannondale, a wonderful bike brand and factory of Pon.Bike, to implement and secure 5S in their entire operations. A wonderful challenge that we will share more about soon!