Achieving Changeover Flexibility

Brigham Young University

Prepared by: Kortney J. Jurado

What will be covered

Changeover Flexibility Defined
How can this help our firm?
Real world example
How do we get there?
Exercise
Summary

Changeover Flexibility Defined

The ability to switch from making one product
to another one without incurring high setup
times

Production Lead Time

Queue: Time waiting before the operation begins

Setup: Time getting ready for operation
Run: Time performing operation
Wait: Time waiting after operation ends
Move: Time physically moving between
operations

Brainstorming Exercise
How will our company benefit from achieving
changeover flexibility?

Current Market Demands

Less costly
Higher quality
Shorter lead times
Increase in average mix

The Why
Customers increasingly demand more
customized products
Reducing setup times allows us to be more
responsive to customer needs
If setup times are reduced at the bottleneck,
capacity increases
Able to convert runs into smaller lot sizes

Real World Example:

Dr. Shigeo Shingos success at Toyota with
single digit setups

Single Minute Exchange of Die

(SMED)
1. Identify internal and external setup activities
2. Determine internal events which can be
converted to external activities
3. Reduce time it takes to perform those
internal and external events
4. Repeat the process

Identify Internal and External Events

External: can be done while machine is
running previous job
Ex: staging materials, getting specs and
drawings

Internal: require the use of the machine

Ex: removal of the die

Determine Internal Events That Can Be

Converted to External Activities
What changes can we make to our process
or machinery?
Example: A company modified the machine so
that the mount and the die could be removed as
one piece

Reduce Times for Both Internal and External

Internal tasks will remain our constraint
Why do we need to reduce the time on our
external activities?

Repeat the Process

What else can be removed from internal
setup?
Can reduce a task by a few more seconds?
What else can we do to reduce our setup
times?

Applying Shingos Method to

Our Setups
Split into groups and take a setup through
Shingos four steps

What did we learn?

How can setup time be reduced?
What can we do to make it easier, simpler,
and safer?
Can we do something more?

Another Tool: 5-S

Sort
Simplify
Scrub
Standardize
Sustain

Sort
Separate items that are used daily from
those that are used occasionally
Remove little used items from your workspace

Simplify
Set in order
Arrange items so they are easy to see, use,
and put away
Ex: carpenters shop

If tools are used sequentially, place them in

that order

Scrub
Clean the work area
You will not need to be cleaning during a
changeover

Standardize
Sort,
Simplify,
And Scrub DAILY
Make it a habit!

Sustain
Continue to continue
There will be changes over time
Start from the beginning again and again

Exercise
- Divide into groups
- Create a plan to run your work area through
the 5-S process
- Discuss your plan with your teammates

What did we learn?

How does 5-S affect changeover flexibility?
How can our setup times benefit from the
use of this tool?

Evaluation
1. List and explain the steps to SMED
2. List and explain the steps in 5-S

Summary
Changeover Flexibility =

Profits
Competitive Advantage
Greater responsiveness to market demands
Increased capacity

Readings List
Vivek Sharma. (January 2001) Circuits Assembly. Vol. 12, Iss. 1; pg. 62, 5
pgs
Kathryn Martin. "Packaging line changeovers: Flexibility means
profit. " Food Engineering 1 Jun 1999: ABI/INFORM Trade &
Industry, ProQuest. Web. 12 Apr. 2010.
Spada, S.. (2007, October). Packaging equipment goes
mechatronic. Machine Design, 79(19), S10. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from
ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1368586341).
Cheryl Gaimon, & Alysse Morton. (2005). Investment in Facility
Changeover Flexibility for Early Entry into High-Tech Markets. Production
and Operations Management, 14(2), 159-174. Retrieved April 12, 2010,
from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 891741341).