Number 109 – A Great Waste of Time

Use single minute exchange of die (SMED) to assist in conducting projects.

Practitioners: tactical, and integrative

What is SMED?  Sometimes it is translated quick change over (QCO) to help make sense of the idea.  In its original conception, it was the reduction of change over time for a die in a press to a single digit of time – from 1440 minutes to 9 or less (single digit minute).  That seems like an incredible difference.  1,431 extra minutes is a great waste of time. What else are we achieving by applying this philosophy? 

My thinking immediately turns to muda, mura, and muri or useless, uneven, and overburden.  When these three categories of waste exist in any operation, we reduce ‘net work’.  In the case of changing over a line, or a process, we lose time when moving to the next task or function.  The result of any application of SMED is a standardized work process, wrapped in 5S, and training provided to all team members impacted by the changes.  Where else might we apply SMED in our thinking?

A Great Waste of Time

By paying attention to the work that takes place preparing to make the change, the work made during the change, and the steps taken after the change, we notice opportunities to move work from internal operations to external operations or work that can be done while the process is in operation, and work that can only be done when the operation has ended.  I realize this is a very simplified perspective, but one that might create some thinking on your part.

This often-overlooked concept can yield incredible results in any project, whether we are on the factory floor or working with an administrative process that does produce our intended results.  If you have never experienced the application of SMED or QCO, I encourage you to give it a try.  Until you have worked through the thinking a few times, you will never truly understand the opportunity to improve your processes.

Questions For Your Consideration

Where might you stretch your understanding of SMED and apply this concept off the factory floor?

How would you describe the difference between internal and external work steps?

What kind of waste – muda, mura, and muri – can you identify when you conduct a SMED analysis?