Downtime is costly. SMED is your secret weapon to fight back.
As manufacturers, we know that downtime and inefficiencies can significantly impact productivity and profitability. One powerful tool for reducing changeover times and increasing efficiency is Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED).
SMED is a methodology developed by Shigeo Shingo that aims to reduce changeover times to less than 10 minutes (single-digit minutes). By streamlining changeover processes, we can:
✔️ Reduce downtime and increase production capacity
✔️ Improve flexibility and responsiveness to changing demand
✔️ Enhance product quality and consistency
✔️ Lower costs and improve profitability
All great benefits which we pass on to our customers!
LIke most improvements in process, or any new methodology roll-out, the first task is to identify opportunities - in this case, by analysing changeover processes to identify areas for improvement. So we start by documenting the current processes and map out current changeover procedures to understand the whole workflow.
Once that is done, the next step is to separate internal and external tasks. Essentially distinguishing between the tasks that can be done while the machine is running (external) and those that require the machine to be stopped (internal).
The magic now is looking to convert internal tasks to external tasks. By finding ways to perform internal tasks while the machine is running, and then streamlining and standardizing that process, you can effectively simplify changeover procedures to reduce errors and variability, and achieve the holy grail of single-minute changeovers!
Keen to find out more about how ADIS Tachov s.r.o. leads the industry with our forward thinking approach to manufacturing? And how optimization of each and every process directly benefits our customers? Feel free to get in touch with us!
