An essential tool of Lean is the
kanban system. In Japanese,
kanban means “card.” Kanban is an information system that uses cards to
signal the need to start an event, such as to produce more products or
order more supplies.
Kanban cards may come in a variety of forms. They may be manual, electronic or verbal.
Kanban works through a
pull system, based on the principles of
just-in-time production. In this way, the customer takes from the
supplier exactly what they need when they need it. The supplier would
then produce exactly what the customer took.
The kanban card system is useful for many reasons, including that it:
• helps control product flow by keeping everyone at each step informed of inventory levels and customer demand
• lets suppliers know when and how much to produce of a product
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<< Sample Kanban
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