Objective:
Examine the possibilities to increase the running time, and hence the effective output.
Content:
A Dutch division of an international manufacturer in the plastics processing industry.
Occasion:
Batch size of the production runs decreases and therefore the number of changeovers increases which has consequences for the available (machine) capacity.
Approach:
Project members involved joined the workshop SMED Single-Minute Exchange of Die in which video recordings of the respective changeovers were used. These video recordings were analyzed and the activities were divided in on-line and off-line activities. Based on an action plan, improvements were identified and implemented. Direct involved employees such as planning, operators and customer service were involved in the identified improvements. These identified improvements were reported to management as short term an medium term improvement actions.
Result
Thanks to the SMED Single-Minute Exchange of Die program savings achieved of over 20% for the short-term improvements and a number of improvements over the medium term that the consultancy costs are recouped within three months. The other improvement for the medium term will be implemented within two years, bringing the total savings around 28 to 30%. And it is therefore possible to produce smaller batch sizes at no additional cost.
