Quick changeover to increase customer satisfaction
- 06.09.2023
- General
System adjusters from Freundenberg learned about the SMED method during practical training at the Kufstein University.
Plant setters from Freudenberg learned the basics of the SMED methodology and familiarized themselves with the various process steps at the Kufstein University of Applied Sciences campus.
Many companies are familiar with this current problem: order quantities are becoming smaller and smaller, while at the same time customer orders are piling up and product variety is constantly increasing. For production, this means smaller quantities in production if production is not to be made to stock, as well as more frequent retooling of systems in order to be able to manufacture the different product variants.
Freudenberg in Kufstein has also faced up to these challenges. As a pioneer in the implementation of lean management in the Freudenberg Group, the plant in Kufstein decided to implement the SMED methodology (single minute exchange of dies) in order to reduce the set-up times of the systems even further. The aim is to be able to change over the machines from the manufacture of one product to another as quickly as possible.
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To familiarize employees with this method, OPEX Manager Marina Hoheneder initiated a setup training course on the campus of the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein under the direction of Prof. (FH) Dr. Martin Adam. Several groups of system setters practiced recognizing and eliminating waste in the set-up processes in the laboratories of the University of Applied Sciences. The groups learned to identify those set-up activities that can still be carried out during the operation of a system and tested tools to speed up the remaining tasks. The exercise processes were filmed, broken down into their sub-steps and improved directly by the participants using a simple four-step method.
This gave the participants sufficient knowledge to be able to continuously reduce the set-up times of their systems and meet changing customer requirements.