The Lean Enterprise

Chapter 6

Kanban and Supermarket

Kanban is a mechanism for controlling the flow of material that controls the quantity and appropriate time for the production of goods (Phumchusri & Panyavai, 2014). Kanban is a system using a card or other visual instructions to give a sign of a need to produce or deliver a container of raw materials or semi-finished materials to the next stage in the manufacturing process (Worley, 2004). Kanban is used to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility of manufacturing in accordance with the consumer needs. It guarantees the right product at the right time and the right amount at the right place. This is better than the push system which tends to have higher operational costs than the Kanban system (pull ...