Single minute exchange of die (SMED)

SMED stands for single minute exchange of Die, which is the reduction of machine set-up time through the use of engineering, technology, simplicity, and standardization.
Quicker changeover times in a production plant or on production equipment can sometimes be easier to achieve in some industries than others. For example in the brick manufacturing industry it can take several hours to perform a product change, due to the nature of the manufacturing process and raw material preparation, but in the injection blow molding of plastic bottles it can sometime be performed within minutes, given highly automated robots and well lay out of the manufacturing equipment.

Some techniques or tools which may be used to implement smed can include:

-Process analysis and mapping
-Shadow Board
-Standardization of tools and tasks
-Use of technology and engineering
-Use of automation and feedback systems
-Efficient use of labour and skills

The benefits of attaining a quick changeover time must be weighed against the cost of implementing or updating the equipment or technology used in the process. It may also be in vane if the downstream process is a very slow one, such as a slow moving kiln or curing process.