SMED

The SMED concept is credited to Shigeo Shingo, one of the main contributors to the consolidation of the Toyota Production System, along with Taiichi Ohno.

Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) concerns the rapid and efficient process of change-over, ceasing the manufacture of one product and beginning the manufacture of another. The phrase "single minute" does not mean that all changeovers and start-ups should take only one minute, but that they should take less than 10 minutes (in other words, a “single digit minute").

SMED is one of the many lean production methods for reducing waste in a manufacturing process. Rapid changeover is key to reducing production lot sizes and thereby improving flow (or ‘Mura’ as it is known in Japanese).

OEE Systems identify the root cause of suboptimal start up and changeover problems and help users understand how long it takes to get back up to target production levels. Quantifying the waste associated with these activities highlights start up and changeover overheads- which are often the biggest drain on resources (energy and manpower) and present significant lost opportunity.