Kanban & Pull Systems

Kanban and Pull Systems

Do you run short of necessary supplies, information or material in your organisation?  Have you determined the appropriate quantity of supplies, information or material to service your organisation requirements?  Are there clear signals when replenishment is required? 

Kanban & Pull Systems use a signal to trigger the movement, production or supply of a unit of material or information. It is a workflow management tool designed to assist in visualising work, maximising efficiency and being agile.

The Japanese word Kanban translates as billboard or signboard. The approach means that production is based on customer demand, rather than the standard push practice to produce goods and pushing them to the market.

Kanban and Pull Systems

The core purpose of Kanban is to minimise waste activities without affecting productivity. The main goal is to create more value for the customer without generating additional costs.  Kanban (meaning signal) is a simple scheduling system. Toyota developed Kanban to signal the consistent supply of parts to the manufacturing process and eliminate material downtime.

Increase inventory turns

Improve capacity utilisation

Maximise invested capital

Create a More Focused and Profitable Business

Kanban two business people

“With 30 years of experience in manufacturing, I thought I knew it all.  During this time, I touched on some aspects of Lean and became very strong in these areas.  But this course made Lean tools available which helped me achieve success in projects while at the same time giving the project team the power to influence change in their own areas.  I came away from this course very well armed for future projects.”

“Lean opened my mind to how we do things day-to-day and created more flexibility and teamwork within my own company.”

Kanban Pull System 2 golfers

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why Kanban & Pull Systems?
  • The Problem of too much Work-in-Progress
  • The concept of Just in Time (JIT)
  • Benefits of JIT
  • Types of Kanban and implementing these systems
  • One Piece Flow and Demand/Pull

You will be able to employ Kanban to maintain supply of the necessary supplies, information or material to your operation. Kanban can be used to maintain flow in queuing systems.

  • How Pull systems can replace traditional re-ordering systems
  • How a disciplined approach can ensure no shortages whilst minimising work-in-progress
  • How to design a Kanban system, train people in its operation and calculate accurate quantities
  • Standardise a process when a signal is triggered

This programme is aimed at any personnel engaging in business process improvement.

All participants receive an LeanTeams Certificate of Attendance.

This programme is delivered via online learning sessions. Please contact us for further details.

Contact us for further details.

In the late 1940s, Toyota was studying supermarkets with a view to applying some of their management techniques to their work.  This interest came about because in a supermarket the customer can get what is needed at the time needed in the amount needed.  Certainly, the supermarket only stocks what it believes it will sell.  In addition, the customer only takes what they need because future supply is assured.  As a result, this led Toyota to view earlier processes as a store.  Therefore, the process goes to this store to get its needed components and the store then replenishes those components.  It is the rate of this replenishment, which is controlled by Kanban, that gives the permission to produce.

Most importantly, this workshop presents the concept of Kanban and how it can be used to control items in a process.  It demonstrates how Kanban is designed to supply what is required, when it is required.

Case Studies

You can also read our case studies to see how our clients used Kanban to improve their business.

Download Training Programme pdf

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