Hello Lisa,
You sound very enthusiastic, which is very important; however, enthusiasm alone is not enough I'm afraid. I advise you forget the funny hats and branded biros for now and take a few moments to consider what you are trying to achieve and why previous initiatives such as SMED have failed in the past. For example is Jim right about Senior Management commitment? The last thing you want right now is another failure; when an initiative fails it becomes much harder to implement the next time. And this is your third and possibly your final shot.
SMED (quick changeover / quick setup) is definitely a great discipline and an important tool in the lean journey, but it's not where I would start. Before SMED, teamwork, problem solving tools, value stream mapping etc. I'd give the factory a real good clean.
The best approach for this is 5S's. There is a good article here:
The Five S's Uncovered
Please don't let the Japanese terminology bamboozle you; it's quite a straightforward five step approach.
1. Separate out all the things that are not necessary and throw them away. I know it's difficult sometimes (hoarding is a natural human instinct), but it has no place in the workplace. If something may be needed later, tidy it away for now.
2. Next Straighten things up; arrange the essential things in order so that they can be quickly and easily accessed and put away. You've heard the saying 'a place for everything and everything in its place', well in this case it means racks for dies and tools, shadow boards for tools, cabinets, shelves, painting lines on floors etc. If you want you can even number things like bins and number the floor - this makes it clear where the bin goes and importantly when it isn't there.
3. Next get out the mops and dusters and clean the machines and working environment, clean everything, the windows, walls, lighting and floors. Paint if you need to. Maybe buy the operators a new standard uniform.
4. Make cleaning and checking a routine practice; maintain a pleasant environment. Create cleaning schedules for all machinery, equipment and the working environment; provide the tools. Where possible make the guidelines and standards visual, a photo showing how the work area should look is good, use laminated signs, colour coding, numbering etc. Beats a procedures manual any day.
5. Standardise the previous four steps and constantly improve them. Make sure that standards don't slip and the new disciplines are maintained. Carry out regular audits to ensure that everything is as it should be and cleaning is carried out as scheduled. Where possible get the operators involved in checking. Regular auditing will highlight deficiencies and improvements. Make sure new operators are educated in what is expected. Remember that 5S's isn't a ‘one off' exercise it's the culture.
In all this management and supervisors must lead by example, it must be what senior management want and they must provide the resources and allocate the time.
It's commonsense isn't it? Follow the above and I guarantee there will be less mistakes and set times will be reduced without even focusing on them. It shows operators you mean business and creates the mindset and environment for you to implement further lean tools such as SMED.
OK first off go and see the MD / CEO and see if he/she agrees.
Welcome to the forums Lisa. 
Regards,
Simon
