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  • Improving the Machining Process of the Metalworking Industry Using the Lean Tool SMED
    Publication . Monteiro, Carlos; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Fernandes, Nuno O.; Sá, José Carlos; Pereira, Maria Teresa Ribeiro; Silva, F.J.G.
    The project here presented was developed in a metalworking company, where several areas requiring improvement were identified. The study addresses the elimination of waste and increase of productivity in the machining sector of the company. To this purpose key processes were identified and mapped using flowcharts and VSM (Value Stream Mapping). Achieved improvements involved decreasing setup times by resorting to the lean tool SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die). Setup times were reduced in 40% on the vertical milling machine of the company, and in 57% on the horizontal milling machine.
  • Optimization of the cold profiling process through SMED
    Publication . Vieira, T.; Sá, José Carlos; Lopes, M.P.; Santos, G.; Félix, M.J.; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Silva, F.J.G.; Teresa Pereira, Maria
    In a more and more competitive and industrialized market, it is essential that companies realize that the way forward must go through the optimization of their production processes, reducing the costs and increasing product quality. Nowadays it’s necessary to adopt innovative management models that can provide increased productivity at minimal costs, such as the Lean thinking. The metalworking industry is integrated into one of the most competitive existing markets in Portugal. Given this, it’s fundamental to reduce the waste in all sectors of the production process, using the good Lean principles and practices, such as the Single Minute Exchange of Die, also known as SMED methodology. This paper presents a project of implementing the SMED methodology in the cold profiling process, in a population of five different profiling machines. The results of the SMED implementation show an average OEE improvement of 10,8%.
  • SMED methodology applied to the deep drawing process in the automotive industry
    Publication . Vieira, A.M.; Silva, F.J.G.; Campilho, R.D.S.G.; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Sá, José Carlos; Pereira, Maria Teresa
    The automotive industry has evolved, becoming increasingly demanding. Thus, it becomes necessary to increase the availability of equipment, reacting efficiently to be able to respond to customer requests. Nowadays, the strong development of this industry is based on three main pillars: competitiveness, product quality and response time to requests. The focus of this work is to increase the availability of a deep drawing machine with extremely high setup time, with the main objective of reducing the average setup time by 20%. This reduction is even more important when it comes to the internal setup time, the time the machine is stopped. Thus, the Single-Minute Exchange of Die technique was applied and work standards were improved to reduce the equipment setup time, increasing the machine availability, leading to a production increased output. As a result of this work, it was possible to standardize setup, reducing 38% of total machine setup time, 53% of internal setup time and increasing 7.7% of OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) availability.
  • iLeanDMAIC – A methodology for implementing the lean tools
    Publication . Ferreira, C.; Sá, José Carlos; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Lopes, Manuel P.; Pereira, Maria Teresa; Silva, F.J.G.
    Organizations focus must reside in their constant desire for improvement in order to satisfy their clients as a result of high-quality products, thus maximizing their profits through a waste reduction in the flow production. Lean thinking allows organizations to identify and eliminate wastes within the organization. The use of lean tools is considered a simple, efficient and cost-effective solution to achieve productivity and profit. DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) is a problem-solving methodology that improves processes, allows defect reduction and reduction of process variability, allowing companies to continuously improve their efficiency and performance. In this work, a combined methodology iLeanDMAIC based on Lean Tools and DMAIC was developed, aiming to help organizations to easily and accurately solve their problems. It includes a case-study implementation on an organization of the sector of wood products. We were able to successfully validate this methodology and to show its efficacy in enhancing production. Results using iLeanDMAIC allowed a reduction time in changeover in the assembly machine (from 39 min to 17 min), presenting this a 44% gain on manufacture. iLeanDMAIC can help organizations thrive against their competitors, make their business more cost-effective and efficient.
  • A Comparison of the Application of the SMED Methodology in Two Different Cutting Lines
    Publication . Silva, Alexandre; Sá, José Carlos; Santos, Gilberto; Silva, Francisco J. G.; Pinto Ferreira, Luís; Pereira, Maria Teresa Ribeiro
    Purpose: This study was carried out in a cork company and its purpose was to observe and analyze the practices and methods used during the tools/series change moments and to propose improvements and alternatives to these same procedures so that the time needed to carry out the setup is reduced by 15% in both lines. Methodology/Approach:The methodology included the following phases: 1st - historical data collection and setup video recording, 2nd - footage analysis and conduction of informal interviews with employees, 3rd - flow, Gantt, and spaghetti charts creation and making of an action plan based on the waste and improvement opportunities identified in video analysis, 4th - validation with the line workers of the new operating mode created with the Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) tool and communication to the Maintenance department about their role in this project, 5th - making and placement of plasticized cards on the cutting lines to ensure that new operating mode is followed and carrying out the actions identified in the action plan. Findings: Throughout this project using observations, video recording and its subsequent analysis, as well as interviews to the workers operating in the line, it was found the existence of several actions carried out by them during the setups which did not add value to the product, lack of adequate tools for the work to be performed and lack of work tools in general Research Limitation/implication: The study was limited by the lines and products under study and by the duration of the curricular internship, which was about five months. Originality/Value of paper: The article demonstrates the added value in terms of product quality and production output rate that SMED methodology can bring to companies that adopt the lean philosophy and in particular this continuous improvement tool.
  • A Comparison of the Application of the SMED Methodology in Two Different Cutting Lines
    Publication . Silva, Alexandre; Sá, José Carlos; Santos, Gilberto; Silva, Francisco J. G.; Pinto Ferreira, Luís; Pereira, Maria Teresa Ribeiro
    Purpose: This study was carried out in a cork company and its purpose was to observe and analyze the practices and methods used during the tools/series change moments and to propose improvements and alternatives to these same procedures so that the time needed to carry out the setup is reduced by 15% in both lines. Methodology/Approach:The methodology included the following phases: 1st - historical data collection and setup video recording, 2nd - footage analysis and conduction of informal interviews with employees, 3rd - flow, Gantt, and spaghetti charts creation and making of an action plan based on the waste and improvement opportunities identified in video analysis, 4th - validation with the line workers of the new operating mode created with the Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) tool and communication to the Maintenance department about their role in this project, 5th - making and placement of plasticized cards on the cutting lines to ensure that new operating mode is followed and carrying out the actions identified in the action plan. Findings: Throughout this project using observations, video recording and its subsequent analysis, as well as interviews to the workers operating in the line, it was found the existence of several actions carried out by them during the setups which did not add value to the product, lack of adequate tools for the work to be performed and lack of work tools in general Research Limitation/implication: The study was limited by the lines and products under study and by the duration of the curricular internship, which was about five months. Originality/Value of paper: The article demonstrates the added value in terms of product quality and production output rate that SMED methodology can bring to companies that adopt the lean philosophy and in particular this continuous improvement tool.