SMED. QUICK CHANGE OF TOOLS AND FORMATS.
SMED. Quick Change Tooling & Formats
Increasing the number of references and smaller batches every day, causing a loss of efficiency and very high productivity.
The solution to this problem can not be artificially increase production batches or give new references. Using the SMED technique allows to save the situation.
SMED is an acronym for “Single Minute Exchange of Die” and means that any tool change is possible to do in less than 10 minutes. Also called quick changeover.
For tool change it means the manufacturing elapsed since the last valid piece of a batch to the production of the first good piece of the next batch time.
Examples of tool changes:
- Mold change in a stamping line, going from one type of piece to another.
- Cleaning machines in a paint line, from one color to another.
- Changing drill in a drilling process.
- Change in bottle packaging liquids.Relabelling.
- Etc.
SMED Benefits
“Transforms nonproductive time into productive time”
- Increased production capacity.
- Increased productivity
- “It allows reducing batch of work”
- Increased flexibility.
- Reduction of delivery.
- Stock decline.
- Release of floor space.
- “Standardize change procedures”
- Product Reduction rejected in the adjustment process.
- Learning process easy.
“Using this technique, Toyota was able to reduce your changes of molds from 3-4 hours to just 3 minutes”