- Giovanni Garofalo
- Journal Magazine, vol. 32
SMED is a tool that seeks to optimize times through an analysis of different processes. This is done by studying the process and all its component activities, always looking for improvement opportunities in terms of cost and time reduction, and visualization of previous activities. It is normally used for product changeovers in industrial process lines, with the aim of optimizing times during a changeover. However, it has also been applied in sports with the same objective.
An example of its use is Formula 1 pit stops, where a tire change takes only seconds.
Applied to a plant shutdown, we will focus the use of this tool on the study and optimization of critical paths for maintenance, operations, and project activities, where excellent results have been obtained in terms of safety, costs, and times, thus complying with the established schedule and even, in some cases, improving times.
This analysis is carried out in 3 stages: 1. identification of external activities (activities performed while the plant is in service) and internal activities (activities performed while the plant is stopped), 2. use of automatic equipment and equipment redundancy, 3. increase in staffing and parallel work.
During the development of a plant shutdown, execution work and work lists must be the priority to set and manage the shutdown’s purposes; this is intended to align teams by specialty and thus ensure effective use of resources. During the execution of this project (Plant Shutdowns), Gantt charts are regularly implemented to track activities, but this tool, while very powerful, is not capable of determining the effect of an advancement or delay in updates on this type of project, nor is it capable of visualizing details to determine, as far in advance as possible, an interference point with a long duration. It becomes outdated quickly and does not allow for the evaluation of other alternatives, such as identifying in detail all the activities that may comprise said task; leaving out any of these can cause a significant financial impact on the project, directly affecting the Opex or Capex budget, as the case may be. The latter will depend on the type of project.
Therefore, in the scheduling and execution of a plant shutdown, downtime is always important, because an activity that has not been identified could cause tangible economic losses. But it is through the implementation of SMED that we can visualize and avoid these types of events.
Before starting with the SMED analysis, it is very important to bring together a multidisciplinary team to study the critical activity to be performed. As an example, we can point out that in an activity that involved 284 hours, applying this methodology was able to reduce it to 106 hours—a 37% reduction in the first rationalization alone—which can generate millions of dollars in savings in the oil & gas or mining industries by shortening deadlines. Furthermore, it guarantees the involvement and empowerment of all personnel involved in the execution of this task in the maintenance, projects, or operations areas. It is important to include the contracting company with its supervisory line, as well as some first-line maintainers or operators so they can understand the activity more deeply and also provide their input regarding task execution.
Let’s analyze the first stage: the identification of all internal activities (activities performed while the plant is stopped) and external activities (activities performed while the plant is in service). This allows us to carry out the first rationalization, as external activities become preparatory actions such as:
1. Coordination of lifting equipment.
2. Reading the Work Standard to identify which tools will be used.
3. Coordinating the signing of permits.
4. Coordinating scaffolding assembly.
5. Coordinating optimal conditions with operations for equipment intervention.
6. Transfer of spare parts.
7. Elimination of unnecessary activities.
The second stage involves the implementation of automatic tools, such as impact guns, automatic welding machines, installing heaters or accelerators to reduce curing times in plate fabrication or brick installation in a furnace, and knowing the lockout points (delivering tags and locks on time).
Additional 5%. It is always recommended to have an additional tool or piece of equipment beyond those required for the activity, as it allows us to anticipate a failure. This would avoid delays in the activity and ensure we meet the established schedule.
The third stage is where we identify work that can be performed in parallel and with an increase in staffing. It is important to ensure that when parallel work is performed, there is no interference with activities and that there is sufficient space to work without interfering with others.
Once analyzed with all personnel involved in the preparation of this work, empowerment of supervisors, operators, and maintainers would be achieved, causing a positive impact during the execution of these tasks. Additionally, anyone would be able to identify the stage where there is a delay or problem, or conversely, corroborate that the activity is in line with the schedule. Applying this tool to critical activities can optimize time by up to 50% of what was initially defined, but most importantly, it allows for the identification of activities that had not been considered.
The analysis focuses on verifying the risks present in the development of internal and external activities from the perspective of labor, equipment, tools, material, and methodology. For each risk, we consider the topics of safety, time, and quality, and in each of these, we evaluate how we control it, who tracks it, who is responsible, and the execution date. To explain this part in more detail, a brief example is shown:
For this analysis applied to plant shutdowns to be successful, the following factors are necessary in the implementation of SMED:
1. Build corporate awareness of the importance of operational flexibility.
2. Realize that this is a strategic issue for the company.
3. Establish new paradigms, specifying that everything is possible.
4. Development of necessary competencies at all levels of the organization.
5. Requires the participation of the entire organization.
6. Focus on process and personnel safety.
Finally, a list should be made prioritizing the most important milestones of the activity, indicating the necessary quantity, the person responsible, and the entity that approves the resource.
SMED in plant shutdowns helps reduce risks (see table regarding risks in plant shutdowns), being able to identify, quantify, and control them through its multiple tools. These potential events or risks are always latent and appear as unplanned events in plant shutdown projects. Success depends on our ability to achieve a predictable result thanks to the implementation of this valuable tool.
