SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) | Lean Manufacturing Glossary
SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) is a lean manufacturing methodology aimed at reducing equipment changeover time to under 10 minutes. Developed by Shigeo Shingo at Toyota, SMED systematically converts internal setup activities (performed while the machine is stopped) into external activities (performed while the machine is running).
Anatomy of the Chart
- Internal setup
- Work possible only while the machine is stopped; the time that actually costs output.
- External setup
- Work possible while the machine runs; free time if used.
- Changeover window
- Last good part of the old run to first good part of the new one.
- Conversion
- Moving an activity from internal to external — the single biggest lever.
- Single minute
- The target: a changeover in single-digit minutes, under ten.
How to Create
- 1
Record the entire changeover on video
From the last good part of the old run to the first good part of the new one. Anything outside that window is not changeover.
- 2
Tag every activity as internal or external
Internal happens while the machine is stopped; external can happen while it runs. This split is the whole method.
- 3
Convert internal to external
Anything that can be prepared, staged or pre-heated while the machine still runs comes out of the stopped time.
- 4
Streamline what has to stay internal
Parallel work, quick-release fasteners and standardised heights shorten what could not be moved out.
- 5
Record the new changeover and measure
The reduction is a claim until a second recording proves it. Repeat over several rounds.
Example
A plastic injection molding facility recorded a 45-minute die changeover. Using Yamazo Studio's SMED analysis, they identified 18 minutes of activities that could be performed externally (pre-staging tools, pre-heating dies). After implementing changes and re-recording, changeover time dropped to 12 minutes — a 73% reduction.
Related Terms
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Frequently Asked Questions
Take the template with you
We will email you the element time study template — station, element, category and five cycle columns, with worked example rows already filled in. The same email carries the Yamazo Studio demo links, in case you want to measure the same thing from video instead.