Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1545666
36 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2026 Current State ('Before') Common places for changeover improvements uncovered in this phase often include: • Operators waiting for material to arrive • Feeders built only after the machine stops • Setup sheets printed manually • Wrong reels discovered at machine • Feeder slot changes every job • First article failures • Setup performance varies by operator The effect on overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) can be staggering. For one line running four changeovers per day, that amounts to 420 minutes (seven hours). In a two-shift 16-hour operation, that line is unavailable 44% of the day. In a $10 million business, 44% downtime equates to $4.4 million in lost potential revenue. Phase 1: Baseline and Measure The first objective is to understand exactly where time is being lost. Spend about two weeks video recording 20–30 changeovers. Categorize every minute of each changeover into either internal or external setups. • Internal setup (machine stopped): Internal setup might include feeder installation, pro- gram loading, and verification steps • External setup (machine still running): Some examples might include material pulling, feed- er loading, and cart preparation After all the videos have been analyzed and broken down into categorized tasks, create a Pareto chart of all the activities. Phase 2: Convert Internal to External For the next three weeks, the focus is to move as much work as possible into an offline process. Previ- ously, the machine would run the job to completion before the operator started pulling old reels, building new feeder configurations, and locating the needed tooling. Now, the goal is to restructure so that, while the previous job is still running, operators: • Stage material • Load feeders • Validate programs • Prepare stencils • Get the cart ready Table 1: Typical changeover timeline ACTIVITY DURATION (IN MINUTES) Wait for production completion 5 Search for feeders/ components 10 Pull and verify material 15 Load feeders 20 Remove old setup 10 Install new feeders 15 Load programs 5 Verify setup 10 First article corrections 15 Total 105 Table 2: Typical findings in setup (your specific values may vary) ACTIVITY % OF SETUP TIME Feeder preparation 35% Material search 20% Verification 15% Program issues 10% Mechanical setup 10% Other 10%