Quick Changeover for Operators: The SMED System

by Shigeo Shingo

The powerful knowledge contained in this book can make your workplace more productive, your job simpler, and everything more satisfying. It's about how to do equipment or product changeovers in record time--often in less than 10 minutes. The method you'll learn here is called SMED, short for "Single-Minute Exchange of Die" (the "single" here means a single-digit number of minutes). Developed from a longer book, A Revolution in The SMED System (cat no. PP9903), written for managers, this book is written for frontline production and assembly associates. It presents an overview of the reasons why SMED is important for companies and employees, sets out the three basic stages of SMED, and then devotes a separate chapter to each of these stages. The first chapter of the book is like an "owner's manual" that tells you how to get the most out of your reading time by using the margin assists, summaries, and other features of the book to help pull out exactly what you need. One of the most effective ways to use this book is to read and discuss it with other employees. The authors planned the book so that it can be used this way, organizing the book into chunks of information that can be covered in a series of short sessions. Each chapter includes reflection questions to stimulate group discussion. A Learning Package is also available (catalog no.PP7126), which includes a leader's guide, overhead transparencies to summarize major points, and color slides showing examples of SMED applications in different kinds of companies.

96 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Operational Excellence, production flexibility is no longer optional, it is a prerequisite for survival. Reducing minimum batch sizes and slashing setup times represent the ultimate remedy for process rigidity. Against this backdrop, the book stands out a useful and super handy reference text.
The book guides the reader through the canonical sequence of methods engineering:
• Separating Operations: Conducting a precise audit between Internal setup (tasks performed only while the machine is stopped) and External setup (tasks executed while the machine is running).
• Converting Setup: Re-engineering operations so that internal tasks are transformed into external ones (e.g., pre-heating dies, pre-setting tools).
• Streamlining & Standardization: Eliminating manual adjustments (trial and error) through functional clamps, quick-release mechanisms, and standardized operating procedures (SOPs).
What makes this edition of industrial communication so useful is how seamlessly it translates complex industrial engineering concepts into actionable front-line guidance.Unlike heavy academic treatises, this paperback speaks the language of the gemba (the shop floor). Visual diagrams, clear flowcharts, and concrete examples make concept absorption effortless. The text minimizes the gap between theory and application. The techniques can be deployed on the production line immediately after reading. Also, the human element is critical. Shingo crafts a tool tailored for operators, sparking a bottom-up culture of continuous improvement.

My final verdict is that for any Operational Excellence professionalthe book is far more than a recommended read (it really is a foundational asset for your Lean toolkit). Shingo proves that world-class efficiency doesn't require massive capital investment in automation, but rather a sharp, logical reorganization of work sequences. It is an essential, high-yield guide that delivers immediate clarity for anyone looking to optimize throughput and maximize overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

[Luke Gruber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very short, probably better as a blog than a book. An esoteric discussion on switch over times for manufacturing equipment and best practices. It could be distilled to this: separate internal and external (while the machine is running vs not). Convert as many tasks to external.

Kind of a waste of money. Too short.

[Michael Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, simple way to explain the basics of SMED