Khushee Ram, Sanjeev Kumar and D. P. Singh
This paper describes the improvement of the setup process of a mechanical press machine in the metal-mechanic area of an elevators company. The work results from a master thesis project conducted during a period of five months. The Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) methodologies were applied to reduce the setup times observed at the beginning of the project. With the developed solutions it was possible to reduce setup times, work-inprocess (WIP) and distances travelled by operators. Additionally, the setup operations were standardized and consequently the process has become more fast and intuitive for the operators. These improvements allowed the reduction of energy and materials consumption and, consequently, a decrease on the Greenhouse Gases’ emissions. In terms of future developments, and aligning with the continuous improvement approach, the authors propose the creation of one or more SMED teams. These teams would be responsible for the analysis and improvement of the company’s setup processes. This paper covers the literature review of SMED tool and purpose of this literature review is to develop an overview of the conceptual framework of SMED tool. The various industrial applications and the existing articles indicate the relevance of the topic and methodology. Flexibility and responsiveness are main pillars of manufacturing, which is operated by demands of greater product variety and improved quality
