Kanban
Kanban: a pull-based signalling system, typically cards or bins, that authorises a workstation to produce or replenish only when the next stage downstream actually needs more units.
FrameworkJust-in-time (JIT)
See it move
A two-bin kanban holds 240 bolts, consumed at 30 an hour, so one bin covers 240 divided by 30, or 8 hours, of production. When the first bin empties, its card triggers replenishment while the second, full bin covers the roughly eight hours needed to prepare and deliver the next one. Nothing moves ahead of that signal.
Check yourself
A component bin holds 150 units, and the downstream assembly station consumes the component at a steady rate of 25 units per hour. Under a two-bin kanban system, once the first bin empties its card triggers replenishment, while the second, full bin keeps the station running in the meantime. Approximately how many hours of cover does the second bin provide while the replacement is prepared and delivered?