SMED Expert comments (Single Minute Exchange of Die) - 6 min

[@camgere]

This really gets into the details of eliminating wasted time. It's nice to see Shigeo Shingo ("A study of the Toyota Production System", 1989) get some well-deserved recognition. Decades ago, a machinist told me that fasteners are for fastening and pins are for locating. Trying to bolt something down accurately is a study in frustration. Use locating pins to accurately position something. Then use bolts to fasten it. Single Minute Exhange of Dies. "Exchange" implies that you have two of something. "Toyota Production System, An Integrated Approach to Just-In-Time" by Yasuhiro Monden, 2012, covers sone simple ideas that you alluded to (1:00) in Chapter 11 "Reduction of Setup Time - Concepts and Techniques". Not to be confused with the seminal "Toyota Production System, Beyond Large Scale Production" by Taiichi Ohno, 1988 (much earlier in Japanese). A minute here, a minute there, pretty soon you are talking real money.

[@marrisconsulting]

Thank you for your valuable input ! We also see that organizational improvement are very beneficial when you work on a SMED : decide who will do what and when, prepare the kits and the tools in advance, etc.