Abstract

This research aims to enhance the efficiency of the mold-changing process for lower suspension spring rubber injection molds in the DESMA ALPHA250 injection machine by applying Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) and Lean Manufacturing techniques. Initially, the mold-changing process required approximately 145 minutes, with 49.60% classified as non-value-added (NVA) steps. Through the implementation of SMED, the mold-changing time was successfully reduced to 60 minutes, a 59% decrease. Additionally, the number of process steps was reduced from 20 to 14 (a 30% reduction), and the total distance covered by personnel during the changeover decreased from 272.76 meters to 133.16 meters, a 51% reduction. These improvements directly contributed to enhanced production efficiency, cost savings, and increased production capacity. To further support these gains, additional process improvements were introduced, including adopting hot mold preheating technology and designing efficient mold storage carts, reducing machine downtime. This study also applied ECRS (Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, Simplify) principles to streamline operations continuously. The findings provide valuable insights for automotive manufacturing and present methodologies that can be adapted for other industrial production processes to optimize efficiency and reduce waste.