Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED)

  Single minute exchange of die is a concept developed by Shigeo Shingo which seeks to perform all setup/changeover times under ten minutes (single minute).

History:
  Lot reduction and set up time reduction had actually been going on in the Toyota Production System since about 1945. In 1955 while visiting the US, Taiichi Ohno observed Danly stamping presses with rapid die change capability. Subsequently, Toyota bought multiple Danly presses for the Motomachi plant. And Toyota started to work on improving the changeover time of their presses. This was known as Quick Die Change, or QDC for short. They developed a structured approach based on a framework from the US World War II Training within Industry (TWI) program, called ECRS – Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, and Simplify.  Over time they reduced these changeover times from hours to just 180 seconds by 1990s.

Reference: Wikepedia Single Minute Exchange of Die

©REDUCE Methodology
  The reduce methodology is a simplified method of performing quick changeover or smed improvements.  The steps in the ©REDUCE methodology are:

1. Required Data
2. Engage with VSM
3. Differentiate Internal and External steps
4. Undergo Conversion
5. Clean up the process
6. Ensure the steps work

  For more information on improving changeover or setup times message Lean Strategies International LLC at: info@leanstrategiesinternational.com

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