Replenish stocks in seconds with e-Kanban
The right part number, at the right time. This is essential for not holding up production. At first glance, high stock levels might seem like a solution. However, occupied square meters cost money and goods are fixed capital. Finally, a long wait could cause materials to deteriorate.
That’s where the Kanban method comes in. It levels out the inventory and ensures that you never run out of material. The Kanban system is based on a simple principle: whenever an operator runs out of material and leaves the container empty, the material replenishment is triggered.
The operator in charge of replenishing material will pick up the empty containers. Each of them comes with a card indicating the type and quantity. This way, the operator knows exactly what to order.
Sometimes, the Kanban cards are hung on Kanban boards, which give an impactful overview of the current situation.
|
|
If it is manual, it’s not scalable
However, the manual Kanban system is limited
- to the operator’s physical location
- to the size of the board
- to the walls on which to hang the boards.
It’s no joke—some companies struggle with manual Kanban systems because they run out of walls to hang new boards!
These limitations cut off the supply chain. Consider materials you order from an external supplier or from another plant: the purchasing department must digitize the Kanban order on the ERP. That means more people involved, more time, and a greater risk of slowdowns.
Introducing a new manual system into the company is a big change. Moreover, if the company has software already in place, it must be customized to integrate with the new method. It’s expensive and it needs continuous maintenance, since an ERP may not be ready to interface with a manual Kanban system.
|
|
Digital replenishment via eKanban
With electronic Kanban, you avoid the problem.
The operator does not need to take the Kanban card and attach it to a board, waiting for the dedicated person to order the material. They just need to scan the barcode to send a signal to the internal or external supplier that the container has been emptied and needs to be restored.
Giving the operators the responsibility for launching the replenishment, using the software themselves, speeds up operations and increases involvement.
What about the cards? By choosing the disposable option, the operator can avoid moving from the workstation to the board. They can throw away the Kanban card. When the new full container arrives, it will be labeled with a new card and a new code.
This is probably easier done than said. You can see the speed of an electronic Kanban by watching this one-minute video!