Improvement of the efficiency in the injection process in a company of the automotive sector through the implementation of the SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) methodology

Abstract

This work was carried out in order to reduce the excessive time in the changes of injection molds, both for aluminum and wood, each of these in their respective pilot areas that were implemented within strategic points were of great help to detect other areas of opportunity for injection in general. However, the equipment and molds used in the injection process are expensive, therefore, the use for product customization in the automotive industry forces the companies that supply inputs to the assemblers to reduce defects and downtime. The results obtained with the implementation of the present methodology generated positive numbers with respect to the time for mold change, obtaining a record change time of 15 minutes, demonstrating that if we look for the appropriate conditions and the necessary tool, we can have the minimum time in addition to obtaining also a maximum time of 3 hours and obtaining a saving of over 93 % equivalent to 255,549.37 USD