Implement SMED Lean-Single minute exchange of dies
by: Autor: Borja Arrizabalaga
Hello, we will be talking about a very important tool in Lean Manufacturing called SMED, this concept was introduced thanks to Shigeo Shingo Japanese engineer who contributed to the Toyota production system.
Shigeo Shingo makes us understand in SMED as the continuous improvement for the matrix change process. It should be noted that in its beginnings it was for the
Matrix or die that was used but then became useful in different processes to reduce the changeover time in the machine and any necessary adjustments before starting the production of a specific product.
This methodology is known as Single minute Exchange die or in Spanish as matrix change in less than 10 minutes. Single minute refers to the goal being that there can only be a single digit in the accumulation of minutes in the change.
The advantages of SMED:
By reducing the changeover time, you can increase production capacity. It will also be used for flexibility as more changes can be made to produce smaller batches.
In short it mentions that SMED in our machines should not be more than 10 minutes.
What is machine changeover time:
SMED Steps:
Step 1. Perform 5s:
To start the Smed process we must first have the work place as it should, with order and cleaning, this is a fundamental pillar to make the process easier to perform. We must remember that 5s makes us have a culture where we start to eliminate the conditions that do not add value and Smed is no more than a tool that performs the same but in a specific process that is the time of change in the machine.
Step 2. Gembutsu Gemba:
If you already have 5s in the area where we will perform SMED we can start to perform gembutsu gemba. The gemba comes from the phrase in Japanese which means going to observe tangible or physical things on the floor.
How to perform this step for SMED:
Our suggestion is simple, go with a multidisciplinary group to observe the change, it is important that each person has a goal. For example, someone takes the time of the activities carried out by the staff in charge of the change, that other people take photos of problems or conditions that happened and a very important one that helps us is to take video. In this way once finished the gemba can be reviewed the process again and again.
The objective of this gemba is to identify all the operations, and the time of each one of them, as well as it allows us to speak with the personnel to determine any condition that does not have added value for the personnel.
Step 3. Identify the operations:
Once the operations are identified we can check which operations can be done with the machine running in normal production (External operations) and also identify the operations that must be done with the stopped machine (internal operations).
Step 4. Convert internal to external
Having operations identified is important to review which of these are internal (in which the machine is stopped), since they are potential for us to change to be external.
How to change internal to external operations in Smed:
This step is important, the purpose is that we can do more activities with the machine in operation and thus the machine time stopped is less.
Among the steps to make changes from internal to external is:
Complete all pre-work before starting the change.
Use visual markings, instead of making adjustments to the score
Eliminate search steps for tools or raw materials or products.
Step 5. Standardize SMED
Standardizing the SMED process is crucial for it to be maintained over time and how we do it is simple.
Earlier we said that recording a video may be necessary to determine the current process of change and to standardize we also use the video. The idea is that we are looking for the video that becomes an appropriate standard, so we try to improve with a model person and get to have one that is in accordance with our commitments of Quality, Safety and Productivity.
Once you have the video, the idea is to train all the staff and get it done. It is also convenient to try to revise it from time to time for the staff to improve.