SMED application

There are many methods for reducing waste in a manufacturing process, but probably the best known is the Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) which is a tool focused on performing a fast and efficient way to change the necessary items of a machine or process so it will be able to produce the next product. For example, the change of a tooling head in a threading machine in order to produce the next product, which has a different diameter, in the manufacturing program. Then, it is clear that reducing this time it will be improved the production process by reducing waste time.

The concept of Single Minute is related to the original idea that all changeovers and startups should take no more than one single digit minute (10 minutes). The die is the known tool used in manufacturing and basically it is applied not only to the die itself but to any other tool included to be changed in a changeover

SMED is not only used in manufacturing processes but it has utility in different processed in an organization, including administrative tasks.

A very good example of some way of applying the tool is in the process of changing tires during a professional Formula 1 race. It is very clear how the personnel involved in the change prepare the task previous to the stop of the racing car, how they are distributed in the changing area, how the tools and equipment are located and how the sequence of tasks in the change are performed. Also, it can be seen as well how the design of the equipment and items to be changed directly affects the change and the time involved, so they should be designed to be simple, easy and fast to be changed. The final result is an incredible short time to make the change.