Kanban

About: Kanban is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1190 publications have been published within this topic receiving 20051 citations. The topic is also known as: Electronic Kanban.

CONWIP: a pull alternative to kanban

Abstract: SUMMARY This paper describes a new pull-based production system called CONWIP. Practical advantages of CONWIP over push and other pull systems are given. Theoretical arguments in favour of the system are outlined and simulation studies are included to give insight into the system's performance.

Kanban, MRP, and Shaping the Manufacturing Environment

Abstract: There has been a great deal of interest recently in the Japanese approach to manufacturing, growing out of a concern for finding ways to reduce inventories and increase productivity. At this project's inception, its objective was to assess whether the kanban system could perform well in the manufacturing environments found in this country. Based on observations from managers visiting Japan, the project was enlarged to also assess which factors in a production environment have the biggest impact on performance-regardless of the system in use. Guided by a panel of production and inventory managers from diverse plant environments, a comprehensive list of factors thought most important to manufacturing effectiveness was constructed. The panel established low and high values for each one. These settings were considered representative of the range experienced in U.S. plant environments. The factor settings allowed a variety of representative plants to be tested with a large scale simulator. Results show that kanban, when implemented in certain environmental settings, does indeed perform exceptionally well. However, so do the more traditional systems used in the United States. Conversely, there are other plant environments in which all systems perform much worse. This suggests that the factors themselves are the keys to major improvement. Simultaneously reducing setup times and lot sizes is found to be the single most effective way to cut inventory levels and improve customer service. Shop factors of particular importance are yield rates and worker flexibility. Degree of product standardization and the product structure are also high impact factors. Less crucial than earlier believed, at least over the factor settings simulated, are inventory record inaccuracy, equipment failures, and vendor reliability. Such results suggest that the selection of a production/inventory system can be of less importance than the improvement of the manufacturing environment itself.

A review of production planning and control: the applicability of key concepts to the make-to-order industry

Abstract: The paper reviews ‘classic approaches’ to Production Planning and Control (PPC) such as Kanban, Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II) and Theory of Constrains (TOC), and elaborates upon the emergence of techniques such as Workload Control (WLC), Constant Work In Process (CONWIP), Paired cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization (POLCA) and web- or e-based Supply Chain Management (SCM) solutions. A critical assessment of the approaches from the point of view of various sectors of the Make-To-Order (MTO) Industry is presented. The paper considers factors such as the importance of the customer enquiry stage, company size, degree of customization and shop floor configuration and shows them to play a large role in the applicability of planning and control concepts. The paper heightens the awareness of researchers and practitioners to the PPC options, aids managerial system selection decision-making, and highlights the importance of a clear implementation strategy. WLC emerges as the most effective Job Shop solution; whilst for other configurations there are several alternatives depending on individual company characteristics and objectives. The paper outlines key areas for future research, including the need for empirical research into the use of Workload Control in small and medium sized MTO companies.