Quick Changeover - SMED Setup Reduction

Lean SMED system for change over setup reduction

The Standard Work Combination Sheet is the ideal Lean tool for set up reduction.

Your goal is to minimize Cycle Time, by:

1. reducing total setup time
2. moving any tasks:

   from "internal setup time" (happening during the normal process cycle)

   to "external setup time" (happening before or after the normal process cycle)

SMED Example

A doctor's office visit might take a lot longer if your health care provider was wasting time changing out bed sheets and restocking supplies after you arrived - rather than arranging for all of that to be done before you ever walk into the exam room.

This example also illustrates why we prefer to call it "quick changeover" or "setup reduction".
Would you want to go to a doctor that specializes in "single minute exchange of dies"? (SMED)

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Office examples

Set up reduction is needed for every industry. Lean Healthcare and Lean Administration and every type of Operational Excellence - not just Lean Manufacturing.

Examples of office change-overs might include:

• the time it takes to change printer paper (or envelopes)
• the time it takes to start up a computer - or to open a computer application, and get to the needed screen

And office change over time can also be hidden within more subtle tasks, like:

• the time it takes to change from one computer screen to another
• the re-acclimation time it takes to change an office worker's focus from one task to another (just ask any "thinking" worker about the quality and productivity effects of frequent interruptions)

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How to use your SMED Standard Work template
for Quick Change Over Set Up Reduction

1. Create your "To Be" worksheet - by copying your "As Is" worksheet - using the special utility Systems2win menu > Copy Sheet

2. Redesign your work flow - looking for opportunities to:

   1. reduce or eliminate setup time

   2. move Internal Setup steps outside of the Cycle Time steps
      using Shift Down and Move to move the entire row to be outside of the Cycle Time steps
      (move it to a position either before or after all other steps that are within the Cycle Time)
      and changing the Operator to X for External.
      [You actually enter the number minus 1 (-1), which will then display as Operator "X".]

3. Click the Chart All Operators button
   and notice that the External Setup steps are itemized and sub-totaled, but are not charted, and are not included in the calculation of Cycle Time.

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Upgrade

Setup reduction features were added to the Standard Work template in July 2009.

Users with older versions will need to upgrade.