Kanban is a Japanese word that means “signboard”. This is a term that has become synonymous with “demand scheduling” or Just in Time (JIT) Manufacturing.
The premise of Kanban is to create visual indicators to allow the operators to be the ones who determine how much of a product to run and when to stop or change over. Kanban rules also tell the operators what steps to take when the have problems and whom to go to when the problem occurs. Operators then produce based on actual usage, rather than forecasted usage They only produce new product to replace the product consumed by its consumer(s), and immediate next process, they only produce product based on visual signals sent by its customer(s).Since the majority of the decisions in a kanban are being made by the operators, the use of visual indicators also allow managers and supervisors to see the schedule status of a line at a glance. The kanban schedule kanban replaces the traditional daily or weekly production schedule. It replaces this schedule with production planning, predetermined rules that allow production operators to schedule in the line. Kanban scheduling can be looked at as an execution tool, rather than a planning tool. It directs production on a day-to-day basis.Kanban does not replace planning completely. Material planning information is used to create the kanban, but kanban does replace the daily scheduling activities necessary to operate the production process. It also eliminates the need for production planners and supervisors to continuously monitor schedule status. In addition to freeing up material planners, schedulers and supervisors, it also empowers the operators to control the line. |
