Title: An MCDM approach to compare different concepts of SMED to reduce the setup time in concrete products manufacturing: a case study

Authors: Murtadha Aldoukhi; Wadea Ameen; Maysam AlDuhami; Sarah Alshitwi; Wasim AlShammary

Addresses: Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Architecture, Alyamamah University, Riyadh-11512, Saudi Arabia ' Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Architecture, Alyamamah University, Riyadh-11512, Saudi Arabia ' Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Architecture, Alyamamah University, Riyadh-11512, Saudi Arabia ' Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Architecture, Alyamamah University, Riyadh-11512, Saudi Arabia ' Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Architecture, Alyamamah University, Riyadh-11512, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: In the construction sector, moulding machines are crucial in producing concrete products, yet changing their mould can pose challenges for some businesses. This paper presents a case study aimed at reducing the setup time of HESS RH 600 moulding machine. Four alternatives are proposed and evaluated to achieve this goal. The first alternative involves converting internal to external activities, while the subsequent alternatives aim to improve the basic solution. These include building a canopy near the machine (alternative 2), installing an air reservoir (alternative 3), and a comprehensive approach involving building the canopy, installing the air reservoir, and adding a new forklift to facilitate the machine setup process (alternative 4). The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) heuristic method is used to select the best alternative solution based on prespecified criteria. It is found that the application of the single-minute exchange of die (SMED) solution without any further improvement is the most favourable.

Keywords: analytic hierarchy process; AHP; single-minute exchange of die; SMED; moulding machine; setup time reduction; concrete products manufacturing; lean manufacturing principles.

DOI: 10.1504/IJASS.2024.142604

International Journal of Applied Systemic Studies, 2024 Vol.11 No.3, pp.231 - 243

Received: 19 Jul 2023
Accepted: 30 Apr 2024
Published online: 11 Nov 2024 *

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