How can you use SMED to improve your manufacturing process?

This is one of the important contributor in reducing idle time between two manufacturing steps in the entire manufacturing cycle.This further helps to improve Overall Equipment Efficiency ( OEE) there by improves equipment utilisation time & reduces machine cost in the overall product cost.

SMED is a lean manufacturing technique focused on minimizing downtime during equipment changeovers. Leveraging SMED can optimize production efficiency by reducing changeover times, enhancing flexibility, and streamlining processes, ultimately driving cost savings and increasing productivity. By meticulously analyzing and categorizing internal and external changeover elements, SMED techniques are used to convert time-consuming tasks into external (performed while the machine is running) or internal (executed when machine is offline) activities. SMED optimizes manufacturing systems, fosters leaner operations, heightened flexibility, and minimizes waste, ultimately enhancing overall operational efficiency.

SMED is targeted at one of the seven wastes ... one of the most pervasive and taken-for-granted issues of supply chain management ... INVENTORY. "Perfection" is the elimination of all wastes including inventory. The "constant pursuit of perfection" is identifying ways to undermine and eliminate the root of those wastes. For inventory, that's the cost of setting up a machine. If daily demand for a part is 100 (to pick a number), the cost contribution of setup can be significant unless the cycle time for that setup is minimized.

Reducing machine downtime by fast changeovers is like picking up free productivity. Using a dedicated changeover crew, with roles clearly defined can be very effective. This can improve downtime, quality and safety.

SMED can have several significant benefits for manufacturing processes: 1. Increased Equipment Utilization: Reduced changeover times mean that equipment can spend more time in production rather than being idle during changeovers. This leads to higher overall equipment effectiveness and increased productivity. 2. Flexibility and Responsiveness: Faster changeovers enable manufacturers to respond more quickly to changes in production requirements, such as shifts in product demand or the need to run smaller batches. This can improve overall agility and responsiveness to customer needs. 3. Cost Savings: Shorter changeover times can lead to reduced labor costs, decreased inventory levels, and lower overhead costs associated with changeovers.

Everything here is true, however, past experience has shown the more time you spend identifying and correctly determining internal v external, the better the long term payoff. Also, it’s never right on the first iteration.

To identify the Internal and external activities we do video graphy in floor and stand with stop watch and finding the ultimate solution ie how we convert the Internal to external by SCAMPER Basically through the SMED we work on reducing the change over time with correlation with 5s on floor. Reduce the movement time for searching for things and cleaning equipment..

Best practices for SMED could be seen in some benchmark Plastic injection moulding shopfloors, where the mould set-up areas are too good that almost 98% of prep-work (external activities) is done in a simulated work environment before changing the moulds. It might be a huge one-time investment but its a recurring benefit which makes it possible.

I think one thing that is lost in using SMED is that it shouldn’t be used to run more production but simply used to react to customers demand quicker.

The first step of SMED improvement initiative is to eliminate unnecessary tasks from the process. Then for the second step, separate the remaining tasks into internal and external processes. The aim is to reduce the internal process as much as possible and transferring them to become external tasks that executed before or after the stoppage time during change over. We can start by asking why each task must be done exactly during the change over stoppage time. For any task that do not have a valid reason to be an internal process, move them to external process. After the segregation of tasks, next step is to further reduce the time for internal process by eliminating or reducing waste from the task.

𝐓𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐃: 1.Form a team: A cross-functional team with expertise in production, engineering, and maintenance is ideal. 2.Select a target product: Start with a product that has frequent changeovers and significant impact on overall production. 3.Observe and analyze the current changeover process: Identify internal and external activities, measure their duration, and document the process flow. 4.Brainstorm and implement improvements: Focus on converting internal activities to external, simplifying remaining internal steps, and standardizing the optimized changeover process. 5.Measure and track progress: Continuously monitor changeover times and identify further improvement opportunities.

Start with something! Just Do It. Progress will come, and the ball will start rolling. Improvements will breed improvements. Be SURE to pause and celebrate successes. If it wasn’t as good before the improvement, why not stop and celebrate? “Thank you for your hard work and success”goes a long way.

First, we need to identify a pilot area for implementation. 2nd, build a cross functional team. 3rd, gather data and conduct analytics for insights. 4th, we need to Identify and categorize activities as internal (machine dependent) or external (independent). 5th, we need to Convert internal activities to external, streamline the internal activities and undertake full implementation. Wherever possible, convert internal setup tasks like tool preparation etc. to external ones, thus saving precious machine time. 6th, we need to Standardize the new process and perform KAIZEN. 7th, we can leverage Industry 4.0 through sensors, data analytics, AI for monitoring and enhancement of machine performance, undertake predictive maintenance etc.

SMED_ Single Minute exchange of die. 1. It is used to improve cycle time. 2. That helps to remove non value addition activities, offline activities and Low cost automation. 3. Reduction in cycle time helps to improve productivity. 4. Systematic and reduced activities during changeover improves safety 5. Proper saturation of workload And many more benefits in manufacturing... follow me

En primer lugar deberemos crear un equipo de trabajo para realizar el taller SMED. Este equipo deberá estar formado por personal operativo del puesto de trabajo y también por personal soporte siempre que sea posible (mantenimiento y/o calidad) Una vez definido el equipo, se deberá definir un valor objetivo como resultado de dicho taller. Se procederá a elegir aquel cambio a analizar y se procederá a grabar el proceso del cambio. Posteriormente en sala, se analizarán las operaciones y tiempos y se procederá a discutir posibles mejorar (definiendo aquellas operaciones internas y externas del proceso) Recordar que no se deberá realizar una única medición del proceso 😉 Una vez realizado el taller se deberá generar el nuevo estándar.

The implementation of SMED allows to minimize the time of change of configuration of the tool in order to support the changes of products as demanded by the customer. In this way, implementing SMED gives FLEXIBILITY allowing the same industrial equipment to manufacture different products in small batches efficiently.

While SMED is primarily used to enhance productivity or increase profits, its benefits extend beyond that. It can also lead to improvements in customer satisfaction, boost employee morale, create a better working environment, and ultimately contribute to the happiness of everyone involved.

There are many benefits of SMED in many processes. One if it is to improve the flexibility of the process especially in high mix low volume manufacturing environment. By implementing SMED, the process leveling or heijunka can be executed more effectively with the balance of WIP and process lost time due to change over. It also can help to ensure the implementation of just in time manufacturing process. The other benefit is process standardization also can be implemented. With SMED, the standard change over process can be maintained and documented.this can improve the quality of change over process to deliver a standard result of the process.

A lot of benefits of SMED 1.Enhanced the productivity more than 50% 2.Cycle time reduce 3.Non value added activities reduce 4.Hit in cost and business 5.Enhanced the productivity ie in numbers 6.Reduce the Inventory 7.No need to maintain the buffer stock 8. More time save to take extra activities 9. Reduce the bottle neck of the entire process 10.Reduce the overhead expenses 11. Utilisation of proper floor area if rented .

La principal ventaja de la realización de un taller SMED es la reducción del tiempo de cambio y por tanto una mejora de la productividad.

SMED could be perceived as mindset change towards maximizing utilization and agility of the plant, This would be achieved through enhancing the process by eliminating all types of wastes then follow the SMED steps. Again "continuous improvement" is the name of the game

Example 1) Change over time to reduce 2) Machine lay out changes are difficult to open for repair and took more time to assemble we change the layout so that it is easy to access and easy to repair 3) convert into group die ie cutting material die 5) 5 s in equipment storage centre to reduce the movement time

Um exemplo simples e funcional que potencializei com minha atuação enquanto consultor foi em uma gráfica, com uma grande maquina que necessitava de 3,5 horas para troca de matrizes dado o formato de aperto dos parafusos. Com a aplicação do SMED, e principalmente atuação do time de operadores, foram alterados as formas de fixação para engate rápido e prensa clique, reduzindo o tempo para 8 min. Após alguns testes e novas rodadas ouvindo as opiniões dos operadores envolvidos, com a troca dos formatos de carga e descarg para mesas com roletes, reduziu-se o tempo total para 4 min.

The best example of SMED is , replacing the tyres of a race car during races. Also the great ambassador of team work... #Simply Amazing #

Make sure to involve the shop floor team at each step to make them comfortable while you are video taping, analyzing the video, and coming up with solutions.

Combining SMED with an Industry 4.0 approach can unlock a powerful synergy for process improvement in manufacturing process. Through the Sensor data from machines and tools, we can monitor performance, predict maintenance needs, and schedule changeovers proactively, minimizing downtime. Through application of Digital twins technology, we can replicate physical system virtually to test and optimize SMED procedures, identifying bottlenecks and refining steps before real-world implementation.

The process can be summarized in five steps: 1- Study the setup process 2- Classify activities by identifying internal tasks (shall be done into the setup process) and external tasks (can be done after or before the setup process) 3- Turn external candidate activities into effectively external activities (any activity that can be performed outside the setup process must be performed outside) 4- Study internal activities. Improve them to reduce time. 5- Study external activities. Improve resources employment

To implement SMED, start by analyzing the current setup process, differentiating between internal and external tasks. Convert internal tasks into external ones, simplifying and streamlining the process. Standardize and document the optimized setup procedure. By reducing changeover time, SMED enhances flexibility, allows for smaller production runs, and minimizes inventory. This efficiency boost contributes to overall productivity and responsiveness in the manufacturing process, aligning with the principles of lean methodology.

Consider SMED as a key tool in your Agility tool box. Do your SWOT analysis of how quickly you can adjust to a decided range of change in demand. Develop a prioritized plan based on TWO with consideration to resources, time and targets. Kick off the plan with scheduled follow-up. Adjust as necessary to achieve agility target.