In today's struggle to
increase revenues while controlling costs, many manufacturers have
overlooked the key production process of setup/ changeover, which
just might yield immediate savings through manpower reductions, increased
equipment utilization and the ability to run smaller lot sizes.
Recently, for example, we helped one major American food manufacturer
identify setup/changeover opportunities that paid an unexpected
annual savings of $3.4 million.
The setup/changeover process can include the setup of fixturing
in a machining process, the changeover of dies in a molding process,
or the setup/changeover of equipment for the food processing or
pharmaceutical industries. The latest buzz term in this area is
"one touch changeover" - the removal, direct repositioning and securing
of a new setup fixture, die or equipment with just one motion. It's
a motion that can take seconds, versus the familiar and tedious
steps of removal, resetting, adjusting and resecuring that can take
hours.
How do you convert to swifter changeover? By following the three-step
approach we used for this food manufacturer, and that classically
results in savings from 50 to 75%. One-quarter of the savings are
immediate, with no capital or equipment investment.
Step One:
Record the Setup/Changeover Process
Capture the setup/changeover process in its entirety via video (with
a minute/second clock embedded on each video frame), and then flow
chart each step to fix your current baseline.
Step Two:
Analyze your Recording
Search for non-value added activities in terms of motion, travel
distance, correct tools at the right time, equipment positioning
and physical layout.
Step Three:
Restructure/Optimize the Process
Assign industrial engineers time standards for each work element.
Flow chart the new process and compare it to the baseline. Write
a step-by-step procedure detailing the new setup/changeover process.
In one of this food manufacturer's facilities, for example, it
took 34 minutes to changeover a very large extrusion die. After
taping and evaluating the process, it was learned an immediate savings
was inherent in pre-positioning, and in having the correct tools
in the right location. This alone resulted in an immediate savings
of 9.25 changeover minutes (25% of the original time) with no investment
required. Further evaluation and redesign of the extrusion die mounting
method reduced total changeover time to 9.4 minutes. The mounting
redesign played a big role in success: This 9-minute changeover
process was reduced to 13.5 seconds - essentially one touch changeover.
For this manufacturer - and all companies that embark on these
process changes - there was a double bonus. Not only did direct
savings occur, but revenues increased because of additional production
hours available.
Like so many firms, these hidden process problems had been there
since inception - burning the company's precious time and money.
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