Understanding the Kanban System and Its Applications
Kanban is a system that was developed long ago by a very well known company, Toyota. It is very popular in the world of business and is widely used due to its uniqueness and ease in use. This system has brought modern planning, working conditions, management and other aspects of business. Due to these, Kanban system produced most of the successful business globally. With this system, time is never wasted, money is not limited, customers will not ask questions and the quality is always guaranteed.
What Is Kanban?
Kanban otherwise known as kamban is a scheduling system that helps a person identify what must be produced, the time these must be produced and how to deal with the production. It is a Japanese term that is translated to “billboard”. The concept of Kanban is associated to lean manufacturing as well as timely production.
The creator of this concept named Ohno stated that JIT or just in time production can be achieved by utilizing the Kanban system. Currently, there are about six Kanban systems in existence but there are about two or three popular systems and these are what businesses make use today. Having a clear idea of these systems will help business determine what to design, impose, select and operate.
Kanban – Input and Output Control
This system is presented in two variants. It is also called the ConWip which means “work in progress”. This is the kind of system that implements control on the output and input. The signal moves from the end of the line until the next section which is where supply chain enters the picture.
There are some conditions required to determine the concealed issues about capacity. The drawback here is that the considerations as not as visible at the beginning of the implementation of the system.
Kanban – Accumulator
This system uses signals that are accumulated in the center of the work area in order to anticipate the requirement for the production size. Hence, the buffers can be reduced depending on the accumulated rules. When the buffers are all consumed, it is possible to make use of higher mixes.
It also makes use of the dual card system that was first utilized by Toyota which included two methods. The first method deals with parting the produce signal out of the scheduling system and the replenished signal out of Kanban. The next methodology is the one that produced the second card which is used for authorization process.
Kanban – Fixed Frequency or Variable Quantity System
This system is perfect for situations when it is more appropriate to replenish goods that have been utilized through variable quantity collections rather than responding to requests for replenishment. This system is mainly related to the POLCA system which is suitable for high-mix and variable situations.
Truly, the Kanban system offers plenty of advantages such as identification of problems on quality, low variable stocks, and a stable system used for scheduling. But then, it is a must to make use of it the correct way in order to avoid drawbacks.
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