Kanban card system is widely used today as a Lean tools to control inventory. According to Taiichi Ohno, the guru of Toyota Production System (TPS) and also Just-in-Time (JIT) concept, kanban is a means through which JIT is achieved. Kanban actually consists of 2 Japanese words – “kan” means “visual,” and “ban” means “card” or “board”). Kanban card system is a concept related to lean and just-in-time (JIT) production. The Japanese word kanban is a common term meaning “signboard” or “billboard”.
Originally, the term kanban describes an wooden or metal sign which has often been reduced to become a trade mark or seal. Since the 17th century, this expression in the Japanese mercantile system has been as important to the merchants of Japan as military banners have been to the samurai. Visual puns, calligraphy and ingenious shapes ? or kanban ? define the trade and class of a business or tradesman. Often produced within rigid Confucian restrictions on size and color, the signs and seals are masterpieces of logo and symbol design. For example, sumo wrestlers, a symbol of strength, may be used as kanban on a pharmacy’s sign to advertise a treatment for anemia.
In the late 1940s, Toyota was studying supermarkets with a view to applying some of their management techniques to their work. This interest came about because in a supermarket the customer can get what is needed at the time needed in the amount needed. The supermarket only stocks what it believes it will sell and the customers only take what they need because future supply is assured. This led Toyota to view earlier processes, to that in focus, as a kind of store. The process goes to this store to get its needed components and the store then replenishes those components. It is the rate of this replenishment, which is controlled by kanban card system that gives the permission to produce. In 1953, Toyota applied this method in their main plant machine shop.
Today, kanban card system is a signaling system to trigger action. As its name suggests, kanban historically uses cards to signal the need for an item. However, other devices such as plastic markers (kanban squares), balls (often golf balls), an empty trolley, pallets. bins, or even marked floor location can also be used to trigger the movement, production, or supply of a unit in a factory.
Check out the following video about Kanban Card System:
Note: By the way, Kanban is not spelled as “canban”. If you have any questions, please do post your questions by clicking the comment bubble below.
DELL Lean Manufacturing System – DELL avoid overproduction by building PC?s, laptops, and servers on a build-to-order basis. Their factories are great examples of flow, raw material comes in one side, finished product comes out the other, with minimal WIP in between. Dell?s ?Direct Model? has often been compared to Toyota TPS system which also reducing waste.
If you know the Origin of Lean then you the relationship between Lean and Toyota. In fact, Lean is modeled after Toyota Production System. And, if you want to learn Toyota Production System, you must at least understand how their they run their production. I am lucky to have the opportunity to visit one of the Toyota factory and I am so impressed with how they run their operations, not only in the production area but how they train and develop their people.
I know it is costly for everyone to visit the Toyota factory so below is the opportunity for you to take a look at how they operate in Toyota Kentucky factory.
What have you observe from the operations from the above videos? Please give us some of your comments.
See for yourself an example of one piece flow in an job shop environment. Can you identify which operation is the bottleneck area and what are the wastes still exist in this operation? I would love to hear your comments on how you can help to continuous improvement this operation.
Enviroscapes Lean Management using the Lean Transformation Initiative. Ohio Landscaping Company using lean management to fine tune their operations and run a leaner, more efficient work process that identifies and eliminates the redundant, the wasteful and the unnecessary.
Find out what are the Top 20 Supply Chain Management softwares in 2009 here by clicking the following picture.
The software that are included in this category include supply chain planning and network design (SCP) applications as well as supply chain execution solutions like enterprise resource planning (ERP), warehouse management (WMS), manufacturing execution (MES) and transportation management (TMS). Looks like the leader of the pack is still SAP, follow by Oracle and JDA Software.
You can also find out the demand for which type of software is growing or shrinking. At the same time, you can also find out the latest trend and demand for the Supply Chain Management Software. Check out the full article here – http://bit.ly/4keUcE.
Find out what are the Top 20 Supply Chain Management softwares in 2009 here by clicking the following picture.
