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How much would you pay to double the capacity of your facility? Or to raise the productivity of your employees and equipment by 50 to 100%? Most people say they can’t afford to add new equipment and automation to make these improvements. But, what if you could get the same capacity increases and cost reductions at little or no cost. And, even better what if it wasn’t that difficult to do? I’d bet you’d be very interested! Slashing time to change over from one product to another is often the answer.

Think about how much time is taken in your operation changing over from one product to another. In one machining operation we worked with recently, the operation spent as much time changing over from one product to the next as it did actually cutting metal. They had to farm out work to a competitor to meet their customers’ requirements. Yet their expensive CNC machining centers were only actually running product half the time. The key for them was to change over faster. By doing so, they nearly doubled the capacity of their facility. They were able to bring all work back in house while decreasing the lead time they were quoting to key customers.

A while back I had the misfortune of getting a flat tire on the way home from class. I was pretty proud of myself. It only took me 25 minutes to get back on the road. It could have taken me a lot less time, but it took a while to figure out the jack, find the lug nut key, and remove the lug nuts. I was actually pretty happy with this changeover until I saw a tire changeover at the Indy 500. They changed 4 tires, filled the car with gas, washed the windshield, and gave the driver a drink in less than 17 seconds!

What’s the difference between my 25-minute tire change and the Indy 500 pit crew’s tire change? First, constant communication with the driver alerted the crew when the pit stop was going to take place. By the time the driver pulled in, everything was ready for a quick changeover. Next, a well-coordinated team attacked the car as they had practiced many times before. Everyone knew where to go, what they needed, and how to do their tasks. The team members all had tools designed to do the job right and the car was equipped to make the changeover faster. For example, jacks are built into the car so a team member could quickly attach a compressed air hose to a quick disconnect port to lift the car. Another time saving feature is that the tires only have one large lug (versus the standard five I have on my car) and crew members had impact wrenches that enabled them to complete the tire changes quickly. They even had an extended cup holder to give the driver a drink without getting in the pit crew’s way.

I could have saved more than 24 minutes if I had the right tools in the right place at the right time and if I was well practiced in changing over a tire!

Here’s how you can changeover your processes faster by using the same techniques the Indy pit crews use:

When we work with companies on changeover reduction, they are typically able to cut changeover time by 75%. How much additional manufacturing capacity would your company gain if you were able to convert 75% of your set-up time into production time?

· Increase capacity.

· Increase productivity.

· Make it economical to run multiple products each day.

· Improve ability to level load the plant.

· Improve ability to service customers.

Mike Beauregard is the principal consultant for Resource Engineering Consulting LLC, a Connecticut-based training and consulting organization. Resource Engineering Consulting LLC specializes in helping manufacturing firms improve profitability. Mike can be reached at 860-646-3002 or by e-mail at mbeauregard@reconsultingllc.com .