Chapter 2Kanbans
Kanban is like the old time milkman. Mom didn't give the milkman a schedule. Mom didn't use the material requirement planning system (MRP). She simply put the empties on the front steps and the milkman replenished them. That is the essence of a pull system.
Ernie Smith
Lean Event Facilitator in the Lean Enterprise Forum at the University of Tennessee
Kanban literally means “watch over a board for a period”; it is like a sign outside a business, but with a soul. Kanbans facilitate inventory management by providing a sign or signal for replenishment. According to Taiichi Ohno, the person credited with developing just in time (JIT), Kanban is a means through which JIT is achieved.1 The purpose of ...
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