The KANBAN method, which means “card”, “ticket”, “label with information” in Japanese eis a “visual management” technique in « pull flow » production and supply flows. It was created in the automotive sector, at Toyota in the late 1950s. It is used today in most industrial sectors. Since 1989, ALBERT DELOIN has supported more than 200 companies in the training and application of this method.
The principle of the Kanban method is based on the following premise: only the downstream need triggers a quantity to be produced in upstream. The two parties, the one who consumes (the customer) and the one who supplies (the supplier), are required to respect their commitments within the company but also with the external environment (suppliers of supplies).
The 4 pillars of the Kanban method/strong>
- Only the downstream need triggers a quantity to be produced upstream,
- Customer–supplier relationship generalised to all industrial flows,
- A calculation formula models each customer–supplier relationship by product,
- The Kanban labels are a material representation of each such relationship.
The primary advantage of the Kanban method
High-quality visual communication in real time for all the actors in the industrial flow, making it possible to:
- Delegate the daily reality of production to operators (planning, manufacturing, delivery)
- Give the management the time for the tasks of the future and in particular for implementing just-in-time tools (S.M.E.D, Poka-Yoke, Total Quality, Hoshin, Kaizen, 5S, etc.)
The Kanban method is a real tool for managing production and supply flows
Depending on the nature of the companies, the diversity of their products and specificities of their industrial processes, the KANBAN method offers a whole range of implementations:
- Simple Kanban between two services,
- Double Kanban between two or more services,
- Procurement Kanban (external suppliers),
- Kanban monitoring sheet,
- Special Kanban,
- Breakdown Kanban, etc.
KANBAN rules are also used to support systems such as:
- Double bins,
- Alert threshold,
- Production line appeals, etc.
Benefits of the Kanban method
- Reduced stock and work in progress (~30%) starting in the first year of implementation.
- Reduced lead times.
- Improved internal and external service rate.
- Increased overall productivity (between 5% and 10%).
For more information on the Kanban method, contact ALBERT DELOIN :
- Tél : +33 (0)4 72 85 61 00
- Write us
