Setup time reduction: SMED-balancing integrated model for manufacturing systems with automated transfer

The importance of short setup times is increasing in every type of industry. It has been known how to address this problem for about 20 years. The SMED method, originally developed by the Japanese industrial engineer Shigeo Shingo for reducing the time to exchange dies, gives a really straightforward approach to improve existing setups. On the other hand, in the case of complex manufacturing systems the simple application of the SMED methodology is not enough. Manufacturing systems composed of different working machines with automated transfer facilities are a good example. Technological constraints, task precedence constraints, and synchronization between different setup tasks are just some of the influencing factors that make an improved SMED desirable. The present paper, starting from an industrial case, aims to provide a heuristics methodology that integrates the traditional SMED with the workload balancing problem that is typical of assembly systems, in order to address the setup reduction problem in the case of complex manufacturing systems. An industrial case is reported to validate the proposed model and to demonstrate its practical implications.