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(+)+(+)
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) The Lean Changeover e-letter
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Published monthly by Changeover.com
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Written by John R Henry, CPP
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) JUNE 2008
(+)+(+)
(+)+(+) Replies, inquires and feedback to john@...
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The Lean Changeover Newsletter has been on a bit of a hiatus but is
back. I will be publishing a new letter around the middle of each month.

This month I was lucky and got a special deal on the letter "E".


SOME THOUGHTS ON...
ESEE CHANGEOVER

One of the problems I have found with changeover is that it can be
overwhelming. This makes it hard for many people to get their arms
around it and they don't even begin. There is an old saying in my
neighborhood that "You can eat an elephant if you cut it into bite
size pieces." Changeover is much the same way. If it can be broken
down and attacked systematically it becomes ESEE to make a
significant dent in changeover times.

One tool I have developed I call ESEE. In this acronym can be
encompassed everything necessary to begin as well as finish a
changeover project. At least to the extent it can ever be finished.
There is always room for further improvement but that is a subject
for another day.

ESEE stands for Eliminate, Simplify, Externalize, Exactly!

The Eliminate step comes first because there is no point whatsoever
in improving something that doesn't need doing in the first place.
Look closely at every changeover task and ask "Why is this being
done? What would happen if we stopped doing it?" Some of you might
say that everything you do is necessary. Are you sure? Far too often
we start doing things for excellent reasons but continue to do them
after the need has gone. Do you adjust conveyor rails on both sides?
Ask why. Is it really necessary? If not necessary, stop.

Simplification is just that, look at every task and activity in
changeover and ask how it could be made simpler. Tools should never
be used for routine changeover. Time is spent looking for them, the
wrong tool is used either by accident or because the right tool was
not available, worn tools cause damage, tool usage requires more
skills...(Need I go on?). If you need to adjust photoeyes, simplify
it by mounting multiple photoeyes, pre-positioned and calibrated, for
each setup. Connect them via a selector switch. Anyone can set the
switch in seconds as opposed to spending 5 minutes or more tinkering
with moving and adjusting a single eye.

Externalize all possible tasks. This means doing them while the line
is running. Do machine parts require cleaning? If there are 2 sets of
parts, the previously used "dirty" set can be removed and set aside.
The clean set is mounted and the line restarted. There is all the
time in the world to clean the dirty set. Some may say that an
additional set of parts costs a lot of money and that is often true.
But what does line downtime cost? Line downtime is frequently
measured in tens of thousands of dollars per hour. Twenty, or even
forty thousand dollars worth of duplicate parts would pay for
themselves in weeks.

Exactly! means that all tasks must be performed exactly the same way,
to the same end result every time, regardless of who performs them.
If the capper chuck is supposed to be adjusted close to but not
touching the cap, what does that mean? Each mechanic will have a
different opinion with one thinking 1/32" is close and another
thinking 1/4" is close. To perform changeover exactly there first
needs to be a detailed SOP describing how it is to be done, including
quantitative values for all setpoints. Second, for the SOP to be
usable, there must be a way for the mechanic to verify that the
correct setpoint was achieved. This may be scales, digital
indicators, force gauges, temperature indicators and so on. Either
one without the other is little more than a decoration.

Changeover is hard. Reducing changeover time and keeping it reduced
is even harder. A logical system for attacking it can make it ESEE.
(And easier)

So what do you think, can you make your changeovers ESEE? I welcome
all feedback and if you have questions I'll be happy to answer them.
E-mail me at johnhenry@... If you have not visited
www.changeover.com lately I recently remodeled so please stop by.

If you really want to know how to make changeover ESEE, ask me about
my "Lean Changeover made ESEE" workshop/kaizen


TIP OF THE MONTH...
OEE MONITORING (I told you I got a deal on the letter "E")

OEE stands for Overall Equipment Efficiency and is a pretty good
metric of how a manufacturing, assembly or packaging line is running.
It is the product of Performance, Availability and Quality (PAQ) Lots
of info about it is available at www.oee.com .

Vorne Industries, which runs the oee.com site makes an excellent line
of OEE display panels. These are LED displays which can be set to
display OEE and other operating parameters on a minute by minute
basis. Unlike some of the fancier SCADA systems, these are very
affordable. For information, visit
http://www.vorne.com/display-types.htm#Production_Monitors


Best,

John R Henry CPP

www.changeover.com
787-550-9650

"All progress is made by a lazy person looking for an easier way" -
Lazarus Long



Best,

John R Henry CPP

www.changeover.com
787-550-9650

"All progress is made by a lazy person looking for an easier way" - Lazarus Long