APPAREL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Assignment 2
SMED AND QC

SINGLE-MINUTE EXCHANGE OF DICE

AND
QUALITY CIRCLE

Submitted by :
Avinash patil
Priya Kumari

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INTRODUCTION

● SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dice) is a system to significantly reduce

the time it takes to complete hardware changes.

● The essence of the SMED system is to convert as many stages of change

as possible into "external" (performed while the equipment is running),
and sim.

● The name Single-Minute Exchange of Die comes from the objective of

reducing switching times to "single" numbers (i.e., less than 10 minutes).

HISTORY OF SMED

SMED was developed by Shigeo Shingo, a Japanese industrial engineer who had
great success in assisting businesses significantly reduce changeover times.
Through his innovative work, changeover times were reduced by 94% across a
variety of organisations (e.g., from 90 minutes to less than 5 minutes). It may be
difficult to see changeover times improving by a factor of 20, but consider the
following straightforward example: For many people, changing one's style could
take as little as 15 minutes. A NASCAR pit crew can change four STYLES in
less than 15 seconds. Many NASCAR pit crew strategies are employed
(doing as many procedures as possible before the pit stop begins; utilising
a coordinated team to accomplish numerous processes in tandem; etc.).
SMED makes advantage of these concepts (forming a standardised and
highly efficient process). In reality, the transition from a 15-minute TIRE
changing to a 15-second TIRE changeover is a SMED trip. Changeovers are
constructed up of stages known as “elements” in SMED.

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SMED BENEFITS

● Lower Manufacturing Cost: faster changeovers mean less equipment

downtime

● Smaller Lot Sizes: faster changeovers enable more frequent product

changes

● Improved Responsiveness to Customer Demand: smaller lot sizes enable

more flexible scheduling

● Lower Inventory Levels: smaller lot sizes result in lower inventory levels

● Smoother Startups: standardised changeover processes improve

consistency and quality

CHANGEOVER AND CHANGEOVER TIME

● Changeover - The total process of converting a machine or line

from running one product to another.
● Changeover time :- The total elapsed time between the last unit
of good production of the previous run, to the first unit of good
production after setup change.

SMED ACTIVITIES

● Elements that are required to be accomplished when equipment is not in

operation are called "internal elements".

● External elements refer to those components that can be successfully

executed while the machinery is in operation.

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SMED PROCESS

Preliminary Stage - Observe and record.

Stage 1 - Separate internal and external activities.

Stage 2- Convert internal activities to external activities.

Stage 3 - Streamline all activities.

Stage 4 - Document internal and external procedures.

Preliminary Stage - Observe and record.

1. Team-work

2. Record

a) Overall duration (from last product to first good product).

b) Describe the change (from what to what?).

c) Record the equipment used.

3. Timers - Time each step

4. Fact collectors - Breakdown the steps into actions - as much detail as possible.

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Stage 1 - Separate internal and external activities.

1. Study each internal step and ask if it could be external.

Common issues:-

a) Dies in remote storage racks.

b) Spanners not available.

c) Raw material checks.

d) Lifting equipment not available.

Stage 3 - Streamline all activities.

1. Ask why the remaining internal steps can't be external.

2. Re-examine the true function of each step.

Common issues:-

a) Imaginary centre lines and reference planes.

b) No record of settings.

Stage 4 - Document internal and external procedures.

1. Write down the new internal and external procedures.

2. Fill in an action sheet to ensure that the new procedures can be achieved.

3. Review the whole activity to determine "What went well?", "What went badly?"
and three changes that the team would make before the next SMED activity.

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Overall Benefits of SMED

1. Reduced inventories.

2. Improved productivity.

3. Increase Availability.

4. Improved flexibility.

5. Improve operator capabilities.

Lower manufacturing costs.

7. Better quality.

8. Better worker utilisation.

9. Shorter lead time and more capacity.

10. Less process variability.

BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF SMED TOOL IN GARMENT INDUSTRY

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Manufacturing Lead Time Improvement by Reducing
Changeover Time with The Application of SMED

● A case study is considered for the sewing section to produce ready-made

garment which is one of the major processes in the apparel industry.
● . The average monthly production of the company is 130,000 units and
monthly working days 24.
● For this study a production line was selected to observe 30 days in which
five styles were run in a month.
● So, to meet the buyers demand five changeovers were necessary to
continue production.
● To complete one style, a delivery manufacturer should start with fabric
inspection then cutting, sewing, ironing, packaging and storing
sequentially.
● Sewing is the most time consuming and critical process to make
ready-made garments.
● In sewing the major time killing non value added process was style
changeover. That’s why if sewing changeover time can be reduced,
manufacturing lead time would be reduced automatically.
● The 3G’s (Gemba, Gembutsu, Genjitsu) were practised in this study to
gather the data and information at the sewing line for two months
● It includes studying the previous changeover process, production rate
after changeover, defect rate after changeover, WIP rate after changeover,
process flow and standard operating procedure.
● The measurement includes the cycle time, processing time, changeover
time, changeover process, production rate, defect rate, WIP rate to
establish a baseline for data analysis.
● With brainstorming and applying the improvement opportunity a
changeover method is proposed and to verify its performance previous
measurement data was collected and compare.

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QC (QUALITY CIRCLE)

INTRODUCTION

● A group of coworkers who carry out the same or comparable duties

constitutes a quality circle. They get together frequently to discuss

various approaches to identify and resolve problems pertaining to their

job-related roles. These teams, also known as a quality control cycle, are

typically small (3–10) and are headed by the supervisor.

● For the country as a whole to fully benefit and profit economically,

factories and all other organisations must adopt quality circles in an

efficient manner. The official and informal organisations work together to

achieve the company goals through the quality circle organisation.Several

chosen managers from the steering committee for the quality circle from

the production, quality control, design, and process planning

departments. This committee serves as the quality circles' policy-making

body. Registration by the steering committee.

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QUALITY CIRCLE HISTORY

● Quality circles were first introduced in the 1950s, when W.

Edwards Deming invented the idea. Toyota found the concept

appealing and started implementing it in various ways throughout

their production facilities and other locations. This method was

adopted by businesses all over the world, and by 1978, there were

more than a million operating circles with ten million workers

employed in Japan alone.

● Quality circles were a very popular choice in the 1960s, 1970s, and

1980s, but they have somewhat lost favour in many western nations

over the previous few decades. Some businesses are now seeing the

potential of quality circles, particularly when integrated with other

approaches like Lean, Six Sigma, and others.

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 BENEFITS OF QUALITY CIRCLE

● increases organisation's productivity and competitiveness

● improves customer satisfaction
● raises awareness of quality control among employees
● improves the status of the company brand and gains consumers'
confidence
● creates a culture of learning and creativity
● motivates employees and values their contributions
● promotes teamwork and communication
● gives employees valuable insights into work-related problem solving
● gets the best from employees and creates a purposeful working
environment
● improves staff attendance

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OBJECTIVE OF QUALITY CIRCLE

● Team spirit: Collaboration is key. Employees encountering challenges to extend

their productivity and initiative within a group often generate more energy and

enthusiasm.

● Self-development: Participants develop additional skills such as critical thinking,

problem-solving and leadership. They teach and learn from each other and take

part in meaningful discussions.

● Attitude: By encouraging interaction, a quality circle encourages employees to

value themselves and their colleagues and often promotes a positive, more

productive mindset.

● Quality improvement of goods and services: The collective knowledge and skills

of employees enhance quality control and might reduce production costs in the

long term.

● Self-development: Participants develop additional skills such as critical thinking,

problem-solving and leadership. They teach and learn from each other and take

part in meaningful discussions.

● Attitude: By encouraging interaction, a quality circle encourages employees to

value themselves and their colleagues and often promotes a positive, more

productive mindset.

● Quality improvement of goods and services: The collective knowledge and skills

of employees enhance quality control and might reduce production costs in the

long term.

● Create a productive quality circle where members share goals to improve the

business in order to foster good working relationships between employees and

management.

● Effective structure: It's critical to comprehend and specify the roles and duties of

the staff members working in a quality circle and to establish fundamental

meeting procedures.

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STRUCTURE OF QUALITY:

Employees who choose not to join the quality circle work together with

members to put their thoughts and suggestions into practice.

● Members: Any employee who wishes to participate in a circle is welcome

to volunteer. Participants often participate in formal training and attend

meetings. In addition, participants offer suggestions for insightful circle

conversations.

● Leader and occasionally a deputy leader are chosen by the circle's

participants. The circle's leader directs participants, assigns

responsibilities to specific circle members, and makes sure that meetings

go smoothly.

● Coordinator: The coordinator organises circles, instructs participants and

leaders, and relays information to steering circles.

● Steering committee: The steering committee directs quality circles, makes

sure they have the necessary resources, and implements the suggestions

they make.

● Coordinating agency: The coordinating agency plans training sessions,

administers the budget, and pledges to keep quality circles going.

● Management: Management participates in quality circle seminars and

conventions and publicly supports them. The budget is approved by

managers, who also monitor the circles' work.

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TIPS TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT A QUALITY CIRCLE

PROGRAMME

● Name the quality circle: The name typically conveys the group's objectives

and lends authority to the circle.

● Describe the group's objectives: Inform workers of the goals and

objectives of the group.

● Selecting facilitators The facilitator is crucial to starting the quality circle

and removing obstacles. Early on in the programme, they frequently give

advice.

● Choose the leaders: A leader is required for each quality circle. The circle's

projects are directed by the leader, who also attends meetings. They

direct the team and provide solutions.

● Organise meetings: Weekly circle meetings frequently take place during or

after work. To make sure that there is an accurate record of the debates,

reactions, and decisions, a member of the circle takes official minutes.

● Reviewing procedure: The management team monitors the quality circle's

performance and development and frequently assesses its effectiveness.

The opportunity for progress is therefore created.

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QUALITY CIRCLE TECHNIQUE

● Brainstorming: This provides an opportunity for all participants to voice

concerns and make suggestions. All of the suggestions are recorded by

one group member for evaluation.

● A useful method for gathering information and organising facts and ideas

is mind mapping. It makes the initial steps of issue solving easier.

● Pareto analysis is a useful technique for setting priorities and figuring out

which approaches would have the biggest influence on the issues.

● Cause and effect analysis: A straightforward, reader-friendly method of

outlining problems and solutions is to list the causes and effects of the

problems and solutions on a fishbone diagram.

● Collecting data is crucial for confirming cause and effect. This is followed

by data analysis.

● Charts, graCphs, and drawings are useful tools for storing and displaying

information about issues and solutions.

● Management: They give the project its blessing and conduct routine

monitoring and controls.

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QC STEPS

1) Identification of work related problem -Method:

a) Generate a list of problems using Brainstorming

b) Prioritise problems using A, B, C analysis

2) Selection of problem (from A list) Method:

a) Pareto Analysis or Rating based on past data

b) Register the selected problem with the coordinator

3) Defining the Problem -Method:

flow diagram
4) Analyse the problem

Method:

Data collection of problem on all possible aspects

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5) Identification of causes

Method:

Brainstorming and Cause and Effect diagram

6) Finding the root cause

Method:

Identifying the main relevant causes in Cause and Effect diagram by data
collection and discussion
7) Data Analysis Method:

a) Using techniques like bar, pie, areal graph, histogram,

stratification, scatters diagram etc.

b) Why-Why analysis

8) Developing solution Method:

Brainstorming

9) Foreseeing the probable resistance -Method:

Brainstorming

a) Identifying the probable constraints and finding ways to overcome

them.

b) Make a presentation to all involved employees to explain the

solution selected

i.e. Departmental head, facilitator, other officials and non members

involved with implementation.

c) Discuss and evolve a system of implementation.

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10) Trial implementation and checking performance. Method:

a) Data collection after implementation

b) Comparison of old and new data with Pareto, Histogram, and

Control charts

c) Watch process trend

d) Analyse the results.

e) Discuss and incorporate the changes needed

11) Regular implementation -Method:

Once validity is checked and improvement observed with data

regular implementation can be done

12) Follow-up and review -Method:

a) Implement evaluation procedure, use control charts, have six

monthly reports for evaluation

b) Make modification if required

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Quality Circle case study

● The Quality circle concept succeeded in Japan, South Korea and a few
other Asian countries, but it was a different kind of experience in
Europe and USA. In Europe and USA, it became very popular from the
middle of 70s to middle of 80s, and subsequently, started its journey of
declining from there onwards.
● The reasons can be attributed to:
● In Japan, it was mainly considered as a development process of
grass-root employees, and organisational improvement was given
secondary importance, whereas in Europe and USA, the focus was
given to organisational improvement and no proper attention was paid
to improvement of people.
● Work associated with QC is totally carried out as an internal process
in Japan, whereas in Europe and USA, it is left to the external
consulting agency. In India too, these reasons are equally valid and
applicable
● QC Success Story in India QC took birth in India in 1982 and some of the
industries to launch QC first were Bharat Electronics Limited, Bangalore
and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Trichy.
● However, with the progress of time, QC achieved success in a number of
industries in India. To name a few are TATA, TELCO, Reliance Industries
Limited, Kirloskar Brothers Limited and so on.
● Case Study of Quality Circle M/s Devki Auto Industries Private Limited, ISO
9001:2008, ISO/TS 16949:2009 certified is a well renowned and reputed
organisation situated at Rohtak.
● The company owes its success to its Kaizen operations and dedication to
quality at every step. The passion to serve its customers with the best has
successfully translated to significant market share. Description of case
industry is as shown in Table

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References

source- Introduction of SMED

Source- Benefits of SMED

Source- SMED process
source-Benefits of implementation of SMED tool in Garment industry
source-case study of SMED

source- What are the quality circle

source- Quality circle techniques

source- objective of quality circle

source-Structure of quality circle

Source-benefits of quality circle

source-quality circle 12 steps

source-Structure of quality circle

sources-case study report

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