Tag
smed
Production-planning notes filed under smed.
- 01
SMED Changeover Reduction: Convert Internal Setup to External and Break the 10-Minute Barrier
Most schedulers optimize the order of changeovers. SMED shrinks the duration of each one. Here's how to measure a changeover correctly, separate internal from external setup, and convert the two into smaller, fresher production runs.
Read post - 02
The Variability Tax: Why Kingman's Equation Says Lumpy Demand Costs More Than a Busy Line
Utilization is only one of three dials that set queue time on a CPG line. Kingman's formula shows why demand lumpiness and erratic changeovers act as a pure multiplier on wait time — and how to attack it without adding capacity.
Read post - 03
Economic Production Quantity (EPQ): Sizing Batches When Your Line Makes and Ships at Once
Run long to dilute a painful changeover, or run short to avoid drowning in inventory? EPQ is the math for the sweet spot — built for a line that fills stock gradually while demand keeps pulling it down.
Read post - 04
Run Order Matters: Sequencing SKUs to Slash Total Changeover Time
You can't always make each changeover shorter, but you can make fewer of them expensive. Here's how to build a changeover matrix and sequence your SKUs to cut total cleandown time across the whole run.
Read post - 05
Drum-Buffer-Rope: How to Schedule a CPG Line Around Its One True Bottleneck
Most CPG schedules fight the wrong machine. Learn how Drum-Buffer-Rope builds the production schedule around your line's real constraint to protect throughput and ship dates.
Read post - 06
EPEI (Every Product Every Interval): How Often Should Your Line Make Each SKU?
EPEI is the one number that names your production rotation — how often each SKU comes around. Here's what it means, why smaller is usually better, and how to calculate and shrink it on a real CPG line.
Read post - 07
Heijunka for CPG Lines: Turning Lumpy Demand Into a Schedule the Floor Can Run
Forecasting tells you how much to make. Heijunka tells you in what rhythm and sequence. Here's how production leveling smooths lumpy CPG demand into a repeatable schedule that protects fill rate and your changeover budget.
Read post - 08
The hidden cost of changeovers
Two plans can make the same units in the same week and cost very different amounts to run. The gap hides in the changeovers — and there's a discipline for closing it.
Read post