Line optimization

Measure the whole transition.

The decision brief

A quick mechanical adjustment can still leave a line waiting for materials, checks or downstream space. Record those waits alongside the physical change. The elapsed production interruption and the sum of people’s work answer different questions, so keep both where staffing decisions matter.

Useful improvement starts with a repeatable boundary. Compare the same old and new formats, the same acceptance rule and the same trial window. Describe what you moved into advance preparation before crediting a shorter stop. A changed definition can make the spreadsheet look better while the line produces no more accepted packs.

Choose a measurement

Use the timing sheet to establish a baseline across the line. Read the RoboSELEX case analysis when a vendor’s short changeover number needs translating into a trial that includes your product and restart conditions.

Record	Prepare	Purpose
Observation	Last accepted old pack, ready-to-run point, accepted new output	Distinguish setup completion from production recovery
Context	Format pair, crew, waiting reason and acceptance rule	Make subsequent comparisons reproducible

Choose a working record

Use Packaging changeover time: a practical measurement record to measure packaging changeovers with explicit clock boundaries, a task log and matched before-and-after records for accepted production.

Use RoboSELEX changeover claims: define the trial boundary to compare Sidel’s published RoboSELEX changeover times and prepare a trial that separates collation changes from a different bottle format.