Methods & toolsSingle-Minute Exchange of Die

What is SMED?

SMED is a method for systematically reducing changeover time — the time from the last good part of one product to the first good part of the next. The core move is to shift changeover work from internal time (the machine is idle) to external time (the machine is running).

A SMED analysis breaks the changeover into individual activities and asks of each: can it be performed while the machine is running? Can it be simplified or standardised? Typical results are 30-70% shorter changeover time without investment — through organisation, preparation and standard work alone.

Shorter changeovers are not only capacity: they enable smaller batches, faster switching between variants and thereby shorter lead time and less inventory.

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Related concepts

OEE

OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) measures how large a share of the planned production time actually produces good parts. OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality. World class is reckoned at ≈ 85%; typical unoptimised plants sit around 60% (Nakajima, 1988).

Flow

Flow means an item or a case moves through the process without stops, accumulation or waiting. Perfect flow is one-piece production: each item is processed and passed on immediately.

The pull principle

Pull means nothing is produced until the next link in the chain demands it — in contrast to push, where production follows a forecast and is pushed onward. Pull limits overproduction and inventory, because consumption controls production.

Standard work

Standard work is the currently best, agreed way of performing a task — documented so precisely that deviations can be seen, and improvements have a fixed starting point. Without a standard there is no deviation; without deviation, no learning.

From method to practice

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