Separate Internal and External Activities

7/19/2021

The video above is from Lean Strategies International LLC's Quick Changeover with REDUCE Course.

Of all the steps in a setup or changeover reduction, separating internal and external activities may in fact be the most important as well as the simplest steps you can take. In the most general sense, performing activities like preparing tools, kits and materials as well as transporting items while your line is running can reduce setup time by as much as 50%.

Differentiate Internal and External Activities

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As a reminder, internal tasks are those tasks that can only be performed while the machine is stopped. External tasks on the other hand can be performed while a machine is running. When we look to differentiate between the two, we are trying to separate work elements or tasks into a group of internal and external tasks.
There are many tasks that can be performed before a machine is stopped. Let’s look at our indy car for a few common examples. Some of the more obvious ones that occur here are:

Lining everyone up and positioning them at a level that reduces motion.
Preparing wheels or other parts before the car is stopped.
Organizing and preparing tools before the car is stopped.
Situating equipment, tools and parts as close as possible to reduce any excessive forms of waste.
Using proper equipment.

While these obvious examples may seem quite simple and logical the reality of an everyday setup is that it may not occur this way. Review your Gemba notes, watch your video and take another look at your value stream. You will more than likely find that many of the external activities are being performed after the machine has been stopped. If so, you may have up to 50% of your setup time that can be reduced, right away. How do we do this? As implied earlier, we need to seperate the activities in our setup into internal and external activities. There are three commonly used methods to do this: