Using the Kanban in a job shop environment

Abstract

Japanese industrial management techniques have been applied in a large number of large Western enterprises. In particular, the Kanban method has been used to control materials, production rate and volume, and to adjust production to requirements. The authors show how the Kanban method may be adapted to the job shop. This adaptation was extensively tested through simulation and then implemented. Actual performance is consistent with the simulation results, and shows marked improvement over previous practice.