2) Set-up and Adjustment

Set-up and adjustment downtime begins when a job is completed and ends when an acceptable standard is achieved with the next job being run.

Typically the activities causing this downtime will include removing dies and jigs, cleaning up, preparing dies and jigs for the next job, reassembling the equipment, carrying out trial runs, making further adjustments (if necessary).

To successfully complete a changeover could take thirty minutes, or even several hours! Often, this downtime has been regarded as unavoidable, however, it is a source of waste and is therefore a target for elimination. By applying the principles of Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED), large reductions in changeover time are possible.

Good housekeeping can greatly help to reduce changeover time. Of the 5S, seiri (organisation) and seiton (neatness) are particularly relevant.