A dynamic kanban system case study

This production control system was designed for a batch flow shop producing a woven product, but the same approach could be applied with very little modification to other multi-machine, multiproduct production cells with similar characteristics like plastics molding, metal pressing, die casting, bar stock turning, and extrusion. It has operated successfully for two years. This ‘dynamic’ kanban system differs from the standard kanban in accounting for seasonality of demand, the availability of forecasts, the fact that material identity cannot be maintained throughout the process, and the high variability of demand. This is a ‘disassembly’ process with independent demand.