KanbanBOX for production levelling
The Heijunka: is a Lean Manufacturing tool for levelling Just In Time production
The Heijunka is a Lean production levelling tool that balances the workload inside the production cells by minimising supply fluctuations. A fundamental tool to support peak demand and be more and more Just In Time!
Levelling the production workload (Heijunka) and aligning it with takt time, the pace of sales, are fundamental activities for all lean production processes. In a Heijunka system, work orders are released in small quantities on a regular basis, in order to impose a constant pace on the whole process.
The following are the main elements of Heijunka production:
- the levelling of the production volume
- the levelling of the production mix.
The KanbanBOX Heijunka module
The Heijunka functionalities of KanbanBOX allow you to evenly distribute the workload over the course of the week and day and view information on patterns in production and set the pace of the operators’ activities. The process is divided into:
- entry of demand for the levelling period
- automatic levelling, plus any manual refinement
- execution: printing of the cards to be processed in the current situation
- monitoring: display of the status on the Heijunka board with evidence of delays.
The KanbanBOX Heijunka board
The levelling algorithm, i.e. how the situation on the Heijunka board must be scheduled, is:
- customisable based on the characteristics of the process
- manually retouchable
- can be monitored in real time.
Furthermore, thanks to the multi-process kanban, the advances in the Heijunka board can pull synchronized upstream processes, like preparation of component kits and pre-assemblies.
Find out about the Sequencer
The Sequencer is one of the KanbanBOX functionalities for increasing the productivity of machines, planning the production and choosing the best sequences of operations. Solve the complexity of the department head’s daily operational planning!
Read moreSee the Heijunka in action
Find out about all the KanbanBOX functionalities for levelling and planning production
Case studies
Anodica Trevigiana
From the automation of the kanban system to the creation of a digital Supply Chain: Anodica's design and Italian products redesigned from a Lean perspective.
Ideagroup
A leading company in the production of bathroom furniture, it switches to electronic kanban by introducing KanbanBOX, with excellent results in the management of variable stocks.
Aptiv
From the introduction of kanban to the transition to e-kanban. The Lean Improvement journey of the largest manufacturer of electronic interconnection systems for the automotive sector.
Cadel – MCZ Group
With the extension of KanbanBOX to the Supply Chain, the stock of class A components and the number of line stops are reduced: the lean management of over 2,500 kanban ties.
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