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Articles on Kanban Systems

Kanban (看板?), also spelled kamban and literally meaning “signboard” or “billboard”, is a concept related to lean and just-in-time (JIT) production. According to Taiichi Ohno, the man credited with developing Just-in-time, kanban is one means through which JIT is achieved.

Kanban is a scheduling system that tells you what to produce, when to produce it, and how much to produce. The means by which this can happen is with the use of a Kanban Card.

The articles below better highlight Kanban Systems, Kanban as aconcept, and various applications of Kanban in many settings.

Kanban and the Operations Management Triangle

by Pete Abilla on October 17, 2011

evan durant, kaizen, kanban

We are pleased to bring you this article by Evan Durant on Kanban and its application in a real-world environment within the constraints of Inventory, Capacity, and Information – the triumvirate he calls the Operations Management Triangle. He explains the transition from a traditiona MRP environment to a more consumption-based Kanban system and the challenges [...]

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Pull Systems, Push Systems: The Paper Airplane Game

by Pete Abilla on March 8, 2011

paper airplane game, push versus pull, kanban

As I teach the principles of Lean Manufacturing to others, I include games that are both fun and also illustrate the concepts in a way that are memorable and solidifies the concepts more clearly in the student’s mind. There are many games that help better explain the sometimes counterintuitive concepts of Lean. One of those [...]

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ERP, MRP, Kanban, Pull System, and Vending Machines

by Pete Abilla on September 29, 2010

erp, mrp, kanban, lean manufacturing

A critical concept in Lean Management is the concept of “Pull”. In traditional production scheduling software or job shop software, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Materials Resource Planning (MRP), parts are produced and moved to the next process even if they are not needed. This process wouldn’t be so bad if parts could [...]

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Kanban, Flow, Pull and Crying Babies

by Pete Abilla on April 19, 2010

Kanban is a signaling system, designed to trigger an action.  If you think about your experience, there are Kanban systems all around us – indeed, they might be so obvious that we miss them.  In this article we discuss a simple Kanban system, the 7 simplified principles of Kanban, and an everyday example from my own [...]

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Kanban Family Job Chart

by Pete Abilla on November 25, 2009

example of a kanban system

I’ve tried this a few times, but I think this time, with the help of the kids and my sweet wife, we’ve got it right for our family. The Opportunity We have a big family – we’ve adopted a bunch and we’re very thankful for our chance to be parents.  We’ve got great kids. But, [...]

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Kanban Types and Analytical Sizing

by Pete Abilla on April 12, 2007

kanban cards examples how

Unlike traditional “push” systems, where material is moved downstream according to a schedule, or simply “shoved” downstream even when the downstream partner is not ready for it, a “pull” system encourages and almost forces cooperation, from a systems perspective.  “Push” also causes congestion, which grows exponentially as more items enter the queue.  Aside from cooperation [...]

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Kanban, Takt Time, & All-You-Can-Eat Meat

by Pete Abilla on November 8, 2006

all you can eat brazilian meat smokehouse

Last year sometime, while I was in Dallas, Fort Worth, for business, a few buddies and I ate at a highly-recommended restaurant called Texas de Brazil. It’s one of those all-you-can-eat meat places, with gourmet-style meats, a great salad bar, and just an excellent atmosphere. While I’m not a huge carnivore, I have to admit [...]

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