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Industrial Engineering & Manufacturing vocabulary · Lean Manufacturing

Kanban

Meaning in industrial engineering & manufacturing, with examples

/ˈkɑːnbɑːn/nounCommon term

In industrial engineering & manufacturing, kanban means: A signal, usually a card or an empty bin, that tells the previous step or the supplier to make or deliver more parts. The Japanese word means 'signboard'.

In Turkish: kanban, kanban kartı, kart sistemi

How it is used

Used for the card itself (a kanban) and for the whole system. Planners calculate the number of kanbans in a loop, and operators send a kanban back when a bin is empty. Electronic kanban (e-kanban) works the same way through software. Kanban boards in software teams come from the same idea.

Example sentences

  1. When the bin is empty, put the kanban in the post box and the material handler will refill it.

  2. We reduced the number of kanban cards in the loop from 12 to 8 to cut inventory.

Common collocations

  • kanban card
  • kanban system
  • e-kanban
  • kanban loop
  • pull systemA way of controlling production in which a step makes or delivers parts only when the next step uses them up, instead of working to a forecast.
  • just-in-timeA production approach in which materials and parts arrive exactly when they are needed and in the quantity needed, so very little inventory is kept. Often shortened to JIT.
  • work in progressProducts that have been started but are not finished yet, such as parts waiting between machines. Often shortened to WIP.
  • lean manufacturingA way of running production that aims to deliver what the customer needs with the least waste of time, material and effort, based on the Toyota Production System.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Lean Manufacturing

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