Now that I’ve your consideration, no, Kanban is just not useless. There was, nonetheless, a sea-change in the best way that the Lean neighborhood thinks about Kanban, and there’s a rising openness to different materials supply choices. Earlier than I dive into that subject, nonetheless, a couple of phrases of introduction are supplied, for many who want a fast Kanban refresher.

Kanban is a Japanese phrase for signal, billboard or extra typically “sign”. In manufacturing the phrase is used to discuss with a cloth supply methodology that replenishes materials based mostly on a sign, often a card, empty bin or an empty area. The fantastic thing about the Kanban methodology is that materials is delivered based mostly on precise want, and the truth that earlier materials has already been consumed. This enables crops to manage stock tightly, obtain a excessive degree of stock turns, and nearly remove shortages. The Lean Mythology tells us that the strategy in manufacturing was impressed by American supermarkets, the place small portions of product are replenished based mostly on precise gross sales. This didn’t escape the discover of visiting executives from Toyota within the 1950’s, and far of the unique Kanban development is attributed to Toyota.

If you happen to began your Lean journey within the 1990’s, Kanban was thought to be the fabric supply methodology of alternative in nearly each scenario. For repetitive manufacturing corporations (like Toyota) the strategy labored nicely. Different industries, like Aerospace or machine outlets, struggled with the strategy, and as an alternative used kitting and pick-list programs to ship materials to their consuming processes. A Lean guide feels uncomfortable recommending kitting, because it appears to be a throw-back to an earlier, inefficient time. That mind-set has began to vary, nonetheless, even for corporations like Toyota.

Needless to say all materials dealing with is muda or waste. There isn’t any such factor as value-adding materials dealing with, for the reason that dealing with by itself doesn’t advance the product ahead. It’s worthwhile to determine essentially the most environment friendly strategies for this vital however non-value-adding work, each for the fabric handlers and in addition for the operators who’re consuming the fabric. Listed below are 5 situations beneath which a Kanban system is probably not the best system for materials supply:

1. The fabric on the road is just not in entrance of the operator. If the operator has to show round, or stroll far to retrieve wanted elements, that’s including waste to his/her work.

2. There’s a danger of error in choosing elements. It is by no means a very good factor to pick the incorrect half, but when objects are indistinguishable with the bare eye, like completely different sized shims, then some countermeasure will have to be launched to keep away from choosing the incorrect half. A number of this chance to make a mistake throughout a complete line, and an error is only a matter of time kanban replenishment meeting.

3. The takt time is short. The shorter the takt time, the upper the proportion of the whole time consumed by choosing elements, even when they’re conveniently positioned.

4. Excessive combine, Low Quantity. In case you are not consuming the identical materials persistently, your Kanban bins will stay full and unused, utilizing each area and cash.

5. Traceability Necessities. Whereas it’s doable to keep up lot management with a Kanban system, it’s extra sophisticated, since mixing free elements from completely different heaps in the identical bin wouldn’t be permitted. Documentation would even be wanted, to report the lot truly used.

What are the choices apart from Kanban? We now have been conditioned as Lean practitioners to think about kitting as a unclean time period, so we won’t use that phrase. How concerning the time period “Kanban Units” as an alternate phrase? On this methodology elements can be chosen (not picked!) in accordance with the sequence of products being constructed. They’d be delivered to the road by way of a cart and even an AGV, in small portions on a Kanban Set Tray. This methodology can nonetheless be thought-about a pull system, for the reason that sign to create a Kanban Set can be the return of an empty tray. It will not be essential to have one set per product; the elements could possibly be chosen in small portions to scale back the variety of strikes and the quantity of dealing with wanted. Line aspect materials could possibly be largely eradicated, liberating up important area on the manufacturing line itself. The Kanban Set cell could possibly be positioned logically as a way to scale back the dealing with of incoming materials. Decide to light programs, if desired, could possibly be way more effectively utilized, as an alternative of utilizing them on each workstation on the road.

The underside line: beneath the fitting situations a Kanban system is the fabric supply methodology of alternative. Beneath the incorrect situations, as listed above, a Kanban system could be a main contributor to inefficiency in labor, area utilization and high quality. There could also be a Kanban Set system in your future!