Date of Defense
4-21-2004
Department
Management
First Advisor
Robert Landeros, Management
Second Advisor
Sime Curkovic, Management
Abstract
The term SMED, Single-Minute Exchange of Die, is a process improvement system developed during the 1950s. Its theory and structure allow for setups that once took hours to complete, to be reduced to minutes. It took nineteen years to develop this process method which originated in Japan. Although the system was initially designed to reduce setup times in manufacturing settings, it can easily be converted to use in any area where processes exist. The goal of this thesis is to analyze the existing process and separate each step into being either internal or external to the system, convert all steps into external ones, and decrease time as much as possible. The thesis follows the steps taken to this end and analyzes each process with observations.
Recommended Citation
Berquist, Gary, "The S.M.E.D. System and How it Benefits Manufacturing Processes" (2004). Honors Theses. 672.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/672
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only