| The printing industry has been experiencing steadily rising costs and declining profits, at times leading to the closing down, consolidation, or restructuring of printing companies. Lean Manufacturing is an effective tool that has helped several printing companies to overcome these rising costs by reducing the cost of production and by improving productivity (Cooper, 2007). This research identified methods to reduce setup times, leading to savings of close to ;The researcher worked with a packaging company for a period of six months, during which time he worked on improving the changeover time on one of the Stevens web offset presses. The method of study employed was called Action Research, which involved direct interaction with employees of the organization. The researcher used Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE) as a parameter of success, which is measure of the value added time.;This research demonstrates that a Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) event can be used successfully in reducing setup times on a Stevens web offset press. |
