Make to Order Kanban
Article asserts that most managers of non-repetitive shops look with envy on the ease of scheduling the repetitive shop with Kanbans. The benefits of Kanban pull systems in the repetitive shop have been significant and well-documented. The article describes the development of MTO KANBAN for a product and process Development Operation. The approach decided upon was a “pull” system, which would throttle the release of work to the shop based on the actual completion of work. Article concludes to explain that MTO KANBAN system supplements, rather than replaces, the existing shop scheduling system. As the number of orders on the floor is reduced, new orders can be released much closer to actual requirements. In addition, existing shop load reports are now better able to provide visibility for controlling backlogs at individual work centers.