SMED

• What
• Why
• When
• How
• Where

What is SMED

SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) is a series of techniques to facilitate changeovers of production machinery as fast as possible but at least in under 10 minutes.

Why SMED

General advantages

• Reduces change over time leading to:
  • Increased availability
  • Greater flexibility to meet customer demand

Reduces waste types

• ☐ Conveyance
• ☐ Inventory
• ☐ Motion
• ☑ Waiting
• ☐ Overproduction
• ☐ Overprocessing
• ☐ Correction

When to use SMED

Essential conditions

Non-essential conditions

How to implement and use SMED

Implementation

General:

• Changeover activities are split into:
  • Internal activities → Take place while the machine is down
  • External activities→ Take place while the machine is running
• The goal is to move as many activities from internal to external, thus minimizing downtime.
• Be aware that implementing it may initially require resources to be invested.

Process steps:

1. Identify & classify activities (internal/external)
2. Make a video of the current changeover process
3. Analyze and separate activities (internal/external)*
4. Convert internal- to external activities
5. Use engineering changes to convert remaining internal- to external activities
6. Minimize external activity time

*) Use can use the Template SMED.

Use

• Keep continuously improving the situation with the long-term objective of zero changeover time.

Where to find it

IASSC Body of Knowledge:

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About the Author

Floris Lap is an IASSC-certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and founder of Procestimal. He empowers organizations to maximize value and reduce waste through practical Lean Six Sigma solutions—contributing to a more sustainable world where businesses thrive with minimal resources. Contact us

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