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SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) is a system for dramatically reducing the time it takes to complete equipment changeovers. The essence of the SMED system is to convert as many changeover steps as possible to “external” (performed while the equipment is running), and to simplify and streamline the remaining steps. The name Single-Minute Exchange of Dies comes from the goal of reducing changeover times to the “single” digits (i.e. Less than 10 minutes).

A successful SMED program will have the following benefits: • Lower manufacturing cost (faster changeovers mean less equipment down time) • Smaller lot sizes (faster changeovers enable more frequent product changes) • Improved responsiveness to customer demand (smaller lot sizes enable more flexible scheduling) • Lower inventory levels (smaller lot sizes result in lower inventory levels) • Smoother startups (standardized changeover processes improve consistency and quality). SMED was developed by Shigeo Shingo, a Japanese industrial engineer who was extraordinarily successful in helping companies dramatically reduce their changeover times. His pioneering work led to documented reductions in changeover times averaging 94% (e.g. From 90 minutes to less than 5 minutes) across a wide range of companies.

Changeover times that improve by a factor of 20 may be hard to imagine, but consider the simple example of changing a tire: • For many people, changing a single tire can easily take 15 minutes. • For a NASCAR pit crew, changing four tires takes less than 15 seconds.

Many techniques used by NASCAR pit crews (performing as many steps as possible before the pit stop begins; using a coordinated team to perform multiple steps in parallel; creating a standardized and highly optimized process) are also used in SMED. In fact the journey from a 15 minute tire changeover to a 15 second tire changeover can be considered a SMED journey. In SMED, changeovers are made up of steps that are termed “elements”. There are two types of elements: • Internal Elements (elements that must be completed while the equipment is stopped) • External Elements (elements that can be completed while the equipment is running) The SMED process focuses on making as many elements as possible external, and simplifying and streamlining all elements. The SMED system has three major phases as shown above. These phases are performed in sequence and the entire sequence can be iterated (repeated). An excellent way to learn more about SMED is to walk through an implementation example.

This section provides a step-by-step roadmap for a simple and practical SMED implementation. Before Starting Virtually every manufacturing company that performs changeovers can benefit from SMED. That does not mean, however, that SMED should be the first priority. In the real world, companies have finite resources, and those resources should be directed to where they will generate the best return. So what should be the first priority?