Dictionary · Method
SMED
SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) is Shigeo Shingo's changeover-reduction method. A changeover is measured from the last good unit of product A to the first good unit of product B; “single-minute” means a single-digit number of minutes, not sixty seconds.
Changeover = last good unit of A → first good unit of B
Shingo's core distinction is between internal setup (work that requires the machine stopped) and external setup (work that can happen while it still runs). Most long changeovers are long because external work is being done internally — preparation, fetching, paperwork — while the line stands still.
Sources: Shingo (1985) · Ohno (1988)
Reading it on the floor
The method
Three steps, in order: (1) separate internal from external setup; (2) convert internal work to external wherever possible; (3) streamline what remains of both. The sequence matters — teams that jump to step 3 buy quick-release clamps for work that shouldn't stop the machine at all.
Why it matters beyond the minutes
Short changeovers make small batches economical, and small batches shrink inventory, lead time and quality feedback loops — Ohno's whole system leans on this. A changeover project is never just an Availability project.
The trap
Capex first. Most SMED gains are procedure and preparation, not equipment; spending on hardware before reorganising the work buys speed you could have had free.
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