Kanban Made Simple

APPENDIX C

TWO-BIN KANBAN SYSTEMS

Two-bin kanban systems are a good tool to simplify material control. They make it possible to issue small items to the shop floor and basically “ignore” them until the pull signal (an empty bin) returns. This technique is especially useful in operations with a large number of parts. With a two-bin system you can place the small, inexpensive components into a two-bin kanban system. You can then focus your attention on managing the more expensive components (it is not unusual to find that 10 percent of your parts make up over 90 percent of your inventory dollars).

The first step to implementing an effective two-bin ...