Kanban for the shop floor
By: created by the Productivity Press Development Team
Contributors: Productivity Press. Development Team
Series: Shopfloor series
Publisher: Productivity Press
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Portland, Or
Language: eng
Number of pages: 96
Subjects: Production management; Costs, Industrial; Just-in-time systems
Description: Information to implement the lean production or Just In Time (JIT) system developed at Toyota Motor Company.

Kanban is the name given to the inventory control card used in a pull system. The primary benefit of kanban is to reduce overproduction, the worst of the seven deadly wastes. A true kanban system produces exactly what is ordered, when it is ordered, and in the quantities ordered. It is essentially a dynamic work order that moves with the material. Each kanban identifies the part or subassembly unit and indicates where each one came from and where each is going. Used this way, kanban acts as a system of information that integrates your plant, connects all processes one to another, and connects the entire value stream to customer demand. Kanban for the Shopfloor provides a working manual for those seeking to implement this method of production control in any operation. It defines the various terms and methods employed in kanbans, and illustrates how when adhered to, kanban is an element of continuous improvement that ultimately leads to the ideal of one-piece flow." In addition to reducing the waste of overproduction, kanban will help your company increase flexibility to respond to customer demand, coordinate production of small lots and wide product variety, and simplify the procurement process.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references