Process Set-Up Reduction

The time taken to change over a process from one product to another is called the set-up, or process changeover, time. In actual measurement, this is the time from the last saleable piece of one product to the first saleable piece of the product being changed to. Set-up time can be thought of as time internal to the set-up - the time when the equipment is down, and external to the set-up - time spent on the set-up while the process is running saleable product. The biggest waste of time in most set-ups is the scavenger hunt. Production Planning has to be proactive and let the team know far enough in advance that the team has time to prepare for the set-up before the process goes down. The biggest waste in motion in a set-up is often the set-up operator walking around getting materials and equipment for the set-up.