Reducing changeover time is like adding capacity, increasing profitability and can help most manufacturers gain a competitive edge. Image a pit crew changing the tires on a race car. Team members pride themselves on reducing changeover by even tenths of a second because it means that their driver is on the road faster and in a better position to win. The same philosophy applies to manufacturing – the quicker you are producing the next scheduled product, the more competitive you are. Here are a few ways to reduce changeover time:

• Reduce Changeover Time Through Awareness
• SMED/Quick Changeover
• Reduce Changeover Time Through Training

The strategies below depict a few of the many problems our customers ask us to solve and the solutions we provide. Always feel free to call us if you'd like to discuss a specific problem or idea. We encourage you to use our application experience to help you reduce your changeover tim

Strategies to Reduce Changeover Time

Reduce Changeover Time Through Awareness
PROBLEM	Changeovers take too long and are impeding our ability to become an agile manufacturer.
STRATEGY	Break changeovers into the three components of changeover time – cleanup, setup and startup. Expose overall changeover time and/or any of its components and set goals to reduce it. Additionally showing a pieces to goal or time to goal variable helps operators initiate internal changeover procedures, greatly reducing changeover time.
SOLUTION	It is usually one particular component of the changeover that requires significant time, typically startup; however it can be any of the three components of changeover. Starting with the longest of the three events is usually a good idea however startup may cause a lot of rejects to be produced, creating expensive waste. There are many ways to reduce changeover time. Consider using scribe marks, gauges, pin holes for line up, scales and exchange tooling to reduce the time it takes to change to the next product to be produced. There are many ways to reduce changeover time. Consider using scribe marks, gauges, pin holes for line up, scales and exchange tooling to reduce the time it takes to change to the next product to be produced.
SMED/Quick Changeover
PROBLEM	Based on customer demand we've gone from a low mix/high volume environment to high mix/low volume. Changeovers are killing our efficiency.
STRATEGY	Break changeovers into its three main parts – cleanup, setup and startup with the goal of reducing the time it takes to perform each task. Implement an SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies) program to focus reduction efforts on the setup portion of the changeover.
SOLUTION	Setup time can be costly because it typically requires skilled people to perform all of the many tasks that take a station, line or cell from the last product to the next scheduled product. Setup may also require significant adjustment through the startup phase of the changeover. There are many ways to implement an SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies) program. Here are just a few tools of an SMED program – scribe marks, gauges, pin holes for line up, scales and exchange tooling. Display the results and track your progress. 87 Series 4" to 12" large digital timers and XL Series Production Monitors are excellent tools for tracking the progress of your changeover reduction efforts.
Reduce Changeover Time Through Training
PROBLEM	Changeover time is hurting our production efficiency.
STRATEGY	Reduce changeover time significantly through training. Expose the changeover time for all to see. Additionally, showing a pieces to goal or estimated time to job completion variable aids operators in determining when to initiate internal set-up procedures. Internal set-up or those items which can be handled while running is one of the greatest tools for minimizing changeover time.
SOLUTION	Show time to completion by displaying either a pieces to goal count or an estimated time of completion based on the current run speed. Also display the changeover in-process time for all to see. Set goals to reduce the time required and use color-coded data to show the allowed changeover time in green and time overage in red. The 87 Series 4" to 12" displays and XL Series Production Monitor displays are great choices for reducing changeover time through awareness.