Kanban, which means sign or card in Japanese,[1]​ is an information system that harmoniously controls the manufacturing of the necessary products in the quantity and time necessary in each of the processes that take place both inside the factory and between different companies.

Also called “card system”. Well, in its simplest implementation it uses cards that are stuck on the material containers and that are removed when these containers are used, to ensure the replacement of said materials. The cards act as a witness to the production process. Other more sophisticated implementations use the same philosophy, replacing the cards with other flow visualization methods.

Kanban is considered a subsystem of just-in-time (JIT) method.

When a customer removes products from storage, the kanban, or sign, travels to the beginning of the manufacturing or assembly line so that a new product can be produced. It is then said that production is guided by demand and that the kanban is the signal that the customer indicates so that a new product must be manufactured or assembled to fill the stock point.

Working on the principle of "pull" flows (the customer "appeals" or "asks" for the product), the first step is to define the ideal quantity of products to be delivered: neither so large that it makes it difficult to produce and store that quantity, nor so small that it allows an excessive reduction of stocks.

Kanban is a signal-based system. As its name suggests, Kanban historically uses cards to signal the need for an item. However, other devices such as plastic markers, balls, or an empty transport cart can also be used to cause the movement, production, or supply of a unit in a factory.

The Kanban system was invented due to the need to maintain the level of improvements by Toyota. Kanban became an effective instrument to support the production system as a whole. Additionally, it has proven to be an excellent way to promote improvements, because restricting the number of Kanbans in circulation highlights problem areas.[2]​.

Contenido

Utiliza tres tipos de tarjetas:.

Transportation cards

They transmit the material requirements of the successor station from one station to the predecessor. The information they contain is the following:

Crafting cards

They move within the same station, as manufacturing orders for it. The information they contain is the following:

Supplier Kanban

It is an additional class of cards that relate the raw material reception center to the manufacturing center.

Other types of Kanban

The following types of Kanban cards are also used: