Achieve higher production flexibility and capacity by reducing equipment changeover times
Internal setup refers to activities that can only be performed while the equipment is stopped, such as removing and fitting tooling. External setup refers to activities that can be performed while the machine is still running, such as preparing tools, materials, and documentation. SMED training teaches teams to identify this distinction and convert as many internal tasks as possible to external, directly reducing stopped time.
This training is designed for any team or group of professionals from the same organization who play a role in, or whose work relates to, its subject. The content is tailored to the group’s context and experience level, so the whole team builds a shared capability it can apply immediately.
Yes. The training is delivered in-company and tailored to your organization’s processes, practices, and typical challenges. The program is aligned with your organization’s reality, priorities, and team structures, enabling teams to apply the concepts and methodologies directly to their work environment.
Teams typically achieve significant reductions in changeover time, leading to increased available capacity, smaller viable batch sizes and improved production flexibility. Beyond time savings, SMED implementation reduces inventory levels, shortens lead times and strengthens the team’s ability to respond to demand variation, all of which have a direct impact on operational cost and customer service levels.
Results vary depending on the starting point, equipment type and the depth of implementation, but most organizations achieve meaningful reductions in their first SMED project. The structured separation of internal and external tasks alone typically delivers significant gains. Sustained improvement comes from standardization, team discipline and ongoing monitoring, which the training equips teams to implement from the outset.
Companies invest in SMED training because long setup times are a hidden constraint on capacity, flexibility and cost. Reducing changeover times allows smaller, more frequent production runs, which lowers inventory, improves responsiveness and reduces the risk of overproduction. For organizations under pressure to deliver greater variety with shorter lead times, quick changeover is a foundational capability for competitive operations.
SMED is most commonly applied in discrete manufacturing, automotive, food and beverage, packaging, plastics and pharmaceutical production – any environment where equipment is shared across multiple products or references and changeover frequency has a direct impact on capacity and lead time. The principles are applicable wherever setup activities consume productive time and limit scheduling flexibility.
No formal prerequisites are required. The training is adapted to the group’s knowledge and experience, from teams with limited background in the topic to more experienced professionals looking to strengthen their capabilities. Familiarity with the processes involved is beneficial but not essential, as the program progresses from foundational concepts to more advanced applications.
Yes. The in-company format is designed to train teams, not individuals. Typically, each group includes up to 12 participants to maximize interaction, practical application, and coaching effectiveness. However, programs can scale across multiple groups, departments, or sites using parallel cohorts or scaling methods adapted to large organizations.
