Abstract
The research aimed to determine how single minute exchange of dies (SMED) is implemented in practice when considering the critical success factors (CSFs) of lean. It also aimed to determine what effect these factors had on waste generated within changeover processes and the possible savings that could be generated when considering these factors during the implementation of SMED.
Six case studies across two production lines were conducted in order to investigate the importance and the impact of considering the CSFs of lean when implementing SMED in an organization. It helped determine that the CSFs of lean form a part of SMED’s implementation process and its prerequisites.
The consideration and presence of the CSFs are critical and the analysis conducted between the two production lines indicated that these factors influence the implementation process of SMED. These factors also have a direct impact on the waste and helped manage the levels of wastes, which in turn reduced the costs of changeovers. It provided practical guidelines that integrated the soft and technical areas to achieve a fully integrated management and manufacturing system that resulted in efficient changeover processes. The result ultimately provides organizations with the required flexibility to satisfy customers as changeovers can take place more frequently with better quality, reasonable delivery periods, affordable rates, smaller lot/batch sizes and lower inventory levels.
M.Ing. (Engineering Management)