The Newsletter of Lean Manufacturing Strategy
February
28,
2003
www.strategosinc.com
Setup Reduction & SMED
My
last message discussed lot sizing and small lot
production. With small lots, Kanban functions better and
conventional scheduling is easy and flexible. But,
small lots require fast, inexpensive and predictable setups.
If your people and equipment already do this, Rapid Setup is of little
concern- otherwise, read on.
In
many industries, such as printing, setup reduction is a hot topic but
the discussion mostly involves expensive technology. Significant
setup reduction rarely needs new technology.
We
recently conducted setup reduction training for a printer of labels. Their
team's analysis identified quick and easy changes that reduced setups
("Make Ready" in the printer's vernacular) by 60%-70%.
In
most cases, manufacturers can cut their setup time in half without a lot
of new equipment, tools and fixtures. Sometimes the
improvement is even greater. For examples go to www.strategosinc.com/setup_reduction3.htm
.
For
more on how to cut setups see our series of articles starting at:
www.strategosinc.com/setup_reduction.htm
A
Kaizen Blitz is an effective way to start setup reduction. These
events are exciting and dramatic. They produce fast, spectacular
results. There is more at:
www.strategosinc.com/kaizen_blitz.htm
www.strategosinc.com/setup_kaizen.htm
Unfortunately,
setup reduction is a more mundane aspect of Lean Manufacturing. It
does not have much glamour. But
it can be critical for the success of a Lean Manufacturing strategy. Don't
ignore it!
All
The Best-
Quarterman
Lee
Please
feel free to forward this Lean Briefing to colleagues or use it
in your publication. We only ask that you do so in its entirety. |
