Setup time

Concept

The time a machine or line is stopped to switch from one product or batch to the next, from the last good part of one to the first good part of the next.

Description

Setup time, or changeover time, is the time a machine or line is not producing while it is switched from one product to the next. It is usually counted from the last good part of the old product to the first good part of the new one, so that warm-up and adjustment are included.

Long setup times push plants to build large batches, because every changeover is costly. Large batches mean more stock, longer lead times and slower reaction to orders. Cutting setup time makes small batches affordable. The SMED method does this by separating work that needs the machine stopped from work that can be prepared while it runs. In scheduling, setup times also depend on the order of products, which is why many plants keep a changeover matrix.

Related topics in brief

• iFAKT GmbH · Related to · Organization
  Stuttgart-based consulting company and software specialist for Industry 4.0, founded in 2001, that helps manufacturers plan and optimize production and logistics processes; developer of the Polaris software.
• SMED · Related to · Concept
  A method for shortening changeover and setup times on machines by separating the work that needs the machine to be stopped from the work that can be done while it runs, and then simplifying both.
• Batch size · Related to · Concept
  The number of units made or moved together before the next step starts. Large batches cut changeovers but raise stock and lead time; small batches do the opposite.
• Heijunka · Related to · Concept
  A lean method that levels production by volume and mix over time, so a plant follows a steady, repeating pattern instead of swings in orders, which reduces stock, overtime and lead time.
• Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) · Related to · Concept
  A manufacturing metric for how effectively equipment is used, combining availability, performance and quality.
• Finite capacity scheduling · Related to · Concept
  Finite capacity scheduling plans production operations onto real resource calendars, treating each machine, person or station as limited, so conflicts between orders become visible instead of being left to the shop floor.

Glossary

Experts and companies for this topic

• Mirko Peters · Microsoft MVP

Maintained by Mirko Peters (Microsoft MVP) · Last updated: 2026-11-11