Kanban

Kanban

1) (1) Japanese word for sign or card/ticket. Used to describe internationally recognized pictograms such as 'No Smoking' and many road traffic signs. Also used in motor manufacturing as part of the JiT system. (2) A simple control system for coordinating the movement of material to feed the production line.

The method uses standard containers or lot sizes with a single card attached to each. It is a pull system in which work centres signal with a card that they wish to withdraw parts from feeding operations or vendors. Loosely translated from Japanese, the word 'Kanban' means literally means 'billboard' or 'sign'. The term is often used synonymously for the specific scheduling system developed and used by Toyota Corporation in Japan. (Source: ILT Supply-Chain Inventory Management SIG)

Source: David Lowe. The Dictionary of Transport and Logistics. Kogan Page, 2002. – P.135 (288 p.)