90% Faster Changeovers for a Furniture Components Manufacturer
Industry: Furniture & Cabinet Components
Company Size: < 100 employees
Ownership: Private
The Challenge:
After investing in advanced CNC routers, the manufacturer was not seeing the expected ROI. Excessive changeovers, inconsistent setup procedures, and high scrap limited machine throughput and drove overtime. The business needed reliable capacity to meet current demand and win higher‑margin work.
SMED (Single‑Minute Exchange of Dies): Converted internal tasks to external, standardized fixturing and clamping, and simplified setup processes.
5S & Visual Management: Optimized layout, standardized tool presentation, and created clear material in/out lanes.
Workload Leveling (Heijunka): Sequenced orders to minimize tool and fixture changes.
Standard Work: Built Job Element Sheets for consistent, repeatable changeovers.
Coaching Culture: Shifted from “doing for” to coaching, enabling replication across additional CNC cells.
Our Approach:
90% reduction in changeover time (31 min → 3 min)
81% increase in CNC capacity
67% reduction in setup scrap
$162,000 in new revenue unlocked
$46,800 reduction in overtime spend
The Results:
Rapid setups and consistent first‑part quality increase throughput, profitability, and customer responsiveness—maximizing ROI on capital equipment.
Why It Matters
Services & Tools: SMED, 5S, Visual Management, Heijunka, Standard Work, Kaizen event & sustainment coaching
