Kanban

TM

Powerful Solutions for Manufacturers

Automate the flow of material using pull techniques

Kanban, a technique for work and inventory release, is a major component of Just-in-Time
(JIT) and Lean Manufacturing philosophy. Kanban was originally developed at Toyota in the
1950’s as a way to manage material flow on the assembly line. Over the last three decades,
the Kanban process – a highly efficient and effective factory production system – has
become a widely used tool in the manufacturing environment and global competition.

Kanban stands for Kan- card, Ban- signal. The essence of the Kanban concept is that a supplier,
the warehouse or the manufacturer should deliver components only when they are needed so
that there is no excess inventory. Within this system, workstations located along production
lines only produce or deliver desired components when they receive a card and an empty
container, which indicates that more parts are needed in production..

In case of line interruptions, measures are taken so that each workstation will only produce
enough components to fill the container and then stop. Kanban also limits the amount of
inventory in the process by acting as an authorization to produce more inventory. Since
Kanban is a chain process in which orders flow from one process to another, the production
or delivery of components is pulled through the production line, in contrast to the traditional
forecast-oriented method where parts are pushed.

In JIT systems, when components and parts are needed for final assembly, they are pulled
in small batches from the supplying work centers. One of the most popular methods used
for implementing JIT is through the use of Kanbans.
 Advantages of Kanban Processing full container to go with each corresponding container label
(C). In order to replenish the finished goods storage, a
Provides quick and precise information
production Kanban is selected and scanned to match the
Provides quick response to changes
outgoing container that is already full. After the operator
Avoids overproduction
compares and confirms a match, the production Kanban
Minimizes waste
is then sent to the production line, on a Heijunka post
Maintains full control
(where the Kanbans reside) as an authorization to produce
Delegates responsibility to line workers
another container of parts. When the production line has
Kanban Processing in glovia.com finished producing a full container of parts, the production
Kanban is finally placed in the matching container and
As part of our ongoing commitment to provide the best
moved to finished goods storage (B). If preferred, the
manufacturing practices within glovia.com, we have
production line can also be updated by using a move
introduced a solution that encompasses the very best
Kanban to move stock through the production line and to
of Kanban techniques. To help create as much flow as
component storage (A).
possible, monthly requirements are calculated using
glovia.com Master Production Scheduling, which then To keep data entry to a minimum, all Kanbans are
relays information to a Kanban screen and generates produced with bar codes and the system is ready to
the required number of Kanbans. accept data entry through scanners or other means.

Referring to the above diagram, when a shipment is due,

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Powerful Solutions for Manufacturers
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