✓ Free · MIT License SMED Changeover Setup Time

SMED Setup Reduction

Every minute of setup time is a minute of lost capacity. SMED finds which tasks require the machine to stop, and which ones don't. Separate, convert, streamline. Calculate exactly how much capacity you recover.

⬇ Download Skill How it works ↓

The Core Distinction

Internal vs. External: the only question that matters first

Before any reduction effort begins, every changeover task must be classified. This single separation is where most of the time savings come from, not from working faster, but from moving work out of the downtime window entirely.

Internal

Machine must be stopped

Tasks that physically require the machine to be off, locked out, or idle. These tasks define the minimum possible changeover time. Reducing them requires tooling, fixtures, or process changes.

Examples

Die swap: press must be at bottom of stroke and stopped
Spindle tool change: spindle must be stopped and locked
Surgical instrument tray swap: OR must be cleared
Nozzle replacement: injection molding barrel must be cooled

External

Can be done while running

Tasks that do not require the machine to stop. When performed during the run, before the stop, they disappear from the changeover clock entirely. The biggest wins are almost always here.

Examples

Retrieving the next die from the crib: can be done during run
Completing job paperwork and quality forms: done during run
Pre-heating fixtures or tooling: started before the stop
Staging consumables and materials: done at any time

The Three SMED Phases

Separate. Convert. Streamline.

SMED is a three-phase process, and the phases must be done in order. You cannot streamline tasks that haven't been classified. You cannot convert tasks you haven't separated. Teams that jump to "work faster" skip the phases that produce the largest reductions.

Phase 1

Separate

Observe and time every task in the current changeover. Classify each one: does it truly require the machine to stop, or does it only happen during stoppage by tradition? Film the changeover if possible, because memory is unreliable at task boundaries.

Phase 2

Convert

For every internal task, ask: "Does this truly require the machine to stop, or only the person to be near the machine?" Many tasks classified as internal are internal by habit, not by physics. Pre-staging, pre-loading, and pre-heating convert dozens of minutes to zero.

Phase 3

Streamline

After conversion, reduce what remains. Parallelize tasks with a second operator. Use quick-connects instead of bolted connections. Eliminate adjustments with reference marks and stops. Standardize the sequence to reduce hesitation and searching.

Biggest wins are in preparation

Tooling staged before the stop: retrieved, inspected, and brought to the machine during the prior run
Next-job paperwork completed during run: setup sheets, quality forms, first-article inspection criteria ready before the stop
Consumables pre-loaded: materials, fasteners, and supplies placed at point of use before the changeover begins

Sample Output

Task-by-task analysis with conversions and savings

Task	Duration	Current	Converted	Saved	Notes
Retrieve die from crib	12 min	Internal	External	12 min	Stage during last 30 min of run. No physical reason to stop press.
Complete setup paperwork	8 min	Internal	External	8 min	Fill out setup sheet and quality plan during run. Operator judgment call.
Press die swap	22 min	Internal	Internal	0 min	Must be stopped. Reduce with quick-change bolts (Phase 3 candidate).
Pre-heat draw ring	15 min	Internal	External	15 min	Start pre-heat 20 min before scheduled stop. Bring to temp during run.
First-article inspection	9 min	Internal	Internal	0 min	Must run parts to inspect. Streamline with pre-set gauges (Phase 3).

Before

66 min

After

31 min

Reduction

53%

Per Event

35 min

Annual (×40 events)

23.3 hrs

How It Works

Paste your task list. Get back a classified analysis with capacity math.

Describe or paste your current changeover tasks

A list of tasks and their observed durations, from a video review, a stopwatch observation, or operator notes. The skill will ask for any missing durations rather than estimating.

Each task is classified internal or external

The skill asks a single question for each task: "Does this require the machine to be stopped, or is it performed during stoppage by convention?" Tasks where the answer is unclear are flagged for gemba verification, not guessed.

Conversions are identified in Phase 2

Every internal task is tested: can it be pre-staged, pre-heated, pre-loaded, or completed during the prior run? Conversions are listed with a specific action: not "move to external" but how to do it.

Phase 3 improvements identified for remaining internals

Tasks that must stay internal are reviewed for parallelization, quick-connect tooling, elimination of adjustments, and standardized sequences. Phase 3 gains are flagged as estimates until verified.

Capacity recovery calculated

Minutes saved per event × events per year = annual hours recovered. The output includes a before/after comparison and an annualized capacity number to use in the business case.

Examples

Works for stamping lines and surgical suites alike

🏭 Manufacturing

🏥 Healthcare

Stamping press die change. Current total changeover: 66 minutes. Video reviewed; 14 tasks identified. Phase 2 converts 35 minutes of internal to external through pre-staging and pre-heating. Phase 3 targets die-bolting time with quick-change hardware.

task,duration_min,type,conversion,notes
Retrieve die from crib,12,internal,external,Stage during last 30 min of run
Complete setup paperwork,8,internal,external,Fill during run — no stop required
Press die swap,22,internal,internal,Must stop — Phase 3: quick-change bolts
Pre-heat draw ring,15,internal,external,Start pre-heat 20 min before stop
First-article inspection,9,internal,internal,Must run parts — pre-set gauges (P3)

Before: 66 min  After P2: 31 min  Reduction: 53%
Annual (40 changeovers): 23.3 hours recovered

Surgical suite turnover between procedures. "Changeover" in the OR is the time from when one patient exits to when the next patient is ready to incise. Internal tasks require the room to be between cases. External tasks can be done before the prior case ends or in a parallel space.

task,duration_min,type,conversion,notes
Terminal cleaning,18,internal,internal,Must be empty room — streamline sequence
Instrument set assembly,14,internal,external,Assemble next tray in sterile processing during prior case
Preference card review,6,internal,external,Surgeon/team review during prior case
Anesthesia machine check,5,internal,external,Begin check while cleaning in progress (parallel)
Room setup/draping,12,internal,internal,Must be clean — can parallelize with second tech

Before: 55 min  After: 30 min  Reduction: 45%
Annual (1,200 cases): 500 hours of OR time recovered

Healthcare note

In surgical settings the skill adapts terminology: "machine stop" becomes "room between cases," "die change" becomes "instrument tray swap," and "capacity recovered" is expressed in OR hours, a language that resonates with administrators and surgeons alike.

What you get

A real run on the sample data

Unedited output. The sample message at the top went to Claude Sonnet 4.6 (an earlier-generation model, so a newer one may word things differently) with this skill pasted in, the same way the steps below show, on September 29, 2026. Scroll inside the frame to read the whole reply.

Open the full image

Installation

Observe the changeover, then run the analysis

Copy the skill. Open smed-setup.md, select all the text and copy it.

Paste it into Claude. In claude.ai, start a new chat and paste it as your first message, or paste it into a Project's instructions so it's there every time. The free plan works, and free accounts can keep up to five Projects.

Say what's in front of you. Paste or describe your changeover task list with observed durations, in your own words (leave out names). Add "just draft it" to skip the questions and get the whole deliverable now. The skill asks one clarifying question per task where the internal/external classification is ambiguous.

See a finished example first (optional): the worked examples are in the download, in the resources/examples folder.

Related Skills

Shorter changeovers improve OEE and enable smaller batches

Changeover time is a direct input to OEE's Availability factor. Reducing it also enables smaller batch sizes and more frequent replenishment, which reduces inventory in the VSM.