Inventory Kanbans

The foundation for Pull Systems

This half day session, designed for associates at all levels in the organization, helps participants to understand and develop visual signals to enhance material flow inside your company.  Proper Kanban design minimizes inventory while simultaneously providing a materials management process that all associates can interpret and understand at a glance.  Discussion topics include materials best suited for Kanban application and calculating Kanban quantities.  These topics are supported by in-class activities.  

Pre-requisite: Lean Overview, 5S/Visual Enterprise, Setup Reduction, and TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) must be taken prior to attending Inventory Kanbans.

Course Content Includes: 

• Definition of Kanbans
• How Kanbans reduce waste
• The origin of Kanbans
• Kanban prerequisites (Setup Reduction and TPM)
• Types of Kanbans (signals)
• Appropriate use of Supermarkets
• Implementation notes
• Use of Kanbans in the office
• Kanban development 

Upon completion of the Inventory Kanbans session, participants will be able to: 

• Define the terms associated with Kanbans
• Calculate appropriate Kanban sizes for various applications
• Establish the relationship between Kanbans and MRP
• Recognize potential Kanban candidates in the process
• Understand how Kanbans move in the process relative to material flow
• Understand how associates and suppliers will be impacted by the use of Kanbans