Revitalising the setup reduction activities in Operations Management

Abstract This research project challenges the status quo regarding setup reduction methods from the current difficulties faced by industries and the knowledge gaps in the literature on continuous process improvement. The purpose of this study is to examine how it is possible to combine SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) with Presetting systems (anticipation of tools or devices adjustments) to improve production systems’ productivity in practice. First, a literature review was performed to expand the understanding of SMED-related methods and the current knowledge gaps in the relevant literature. Next, a revitalised method combining SMED with Presetting systems was proposed and empirically validated in close collaboration with the industry in a longitudinal study. Qualitative and quantitative observations made before, during and after the intervention demonstrated the adequate performance of the tested method. The main results obtained include (i) 87% reduction in the setup time and a 33.8% increase in the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of the labelling machine, (ii) 17% increase in the entire line’s OEE, (iii) about 45% reduction of the lot sizes, (iv) a systemic improvement in productivity of 48.533 parts per month into production line responsible for 90.5% of the company’s revenues. Overall, this study proposed theory refinements and contributes to research and practice on Lean Production implementation by expanding and revitalising the current literature on setup reduction methods and process improvements. The refined method and the prescriptive guidelines provided in this study enable industrial practitioners to increase production systems’ performance in practice. The paper contributes to expanding the absorption of best practices in Production/Operations Management research results in firms.