SMED for packaging-line changeovers

Measure the current changeover from good pack to good pack

Start timing at the last acceptable pack of the outgoing product and finish at the first sustained acceptable pack of the new product. Include cleaning, material removal, parts, settings, first-off checks and the start-up adjustment period.

Use video and a task log to capture walking, searching, waiting and repeated adjustments that are missed by a headline duration.

Separate internal and external work

Internal work requires the machine or line to be stopped. External work can be prepared while normal production continues, such as checking the next material, retrieving clean parts, verifying recipes and staging tools.

Move work outside the stop only when it can be done safely and without creating mix-up or contamination risk.

Simplify and standardise the stopped work

Use captive fasteners, fixed stops, scales, common tools, labelled change parts, wheeled storage and documented settings where they are suitable. Remove adjustments that can be replaced by a repeatable datum.

Assign tasks in parallel without creating conflicting access or unsafe movement.

Prove quality as well as speed

A shorter changeover is not successful if start-up waste, mislabelling or cleaning risk increases. Define release checks and record time to stable good production.

Repeat the method with different teams and product pairs. Use the average and variation, not one demonstration run.

Information to prepare

• Good-pack-to-good-pack baseline video
• Task list with internal and external classification
• Prepared parts, tools, materials and documents
• Safe parallel-work plan
• Repeatable settings and physical datums
• First-off quality and line-clearance checks
• Repeated timing and start-up waste trend