Kanban Made Simple: Demystifying and Applying Toyota's Legendary Manufacturing Process

by John M. GROSS, Kenneth R. MCINNIS

Overview

Kanban Made Simple is the first simple "how-to" guide for incorporating the just-in-time ingenuity of the Kanban system into any manufacturing environment. From the Japanese word for "visual record", the technique dictates that suppliers deliver parts to the warehouse only as they are needed, reducing storage in the production area. Using before-and-after case studies, this easy-to-follow guide contains information on establishing project goals, forming a Kanban team, and designing the process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814427118
Publisher:	AMACOM
Publication date:	05/13/2003
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

John Gross attended Washington University of St. Louis and upon graduation with an electrical engineering degree, he entered the U.S. Air Force as a project manager. After leaving the U.S. Air Force, he entered private industry. In his civilian career, he has been a plant engineer, engineering manager, business unit manager, and corporate engineer in both the food and automotive industries. In addition to this book, Mr. Gross has also written The Fundamentals of Preventive Maintenance and has been published internationally in various trade magazines on the subject of productivity. He holds a master of administration degree from Central Michigan University. He is a licensed professional engineer, a Six-Sigma Blackbelt, and an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer.
Ken McInnis has held various management positions in the apparel, automotive, and food industries. He has worked in materials and logistics, in production management, and as a business unit manager. Mr. McInnis has been published internationally in various trade magazines on the subject of productivity. He holds a bachelor of science degree in business from Kansas University, and an MBA in manufacturing and operations from Washington University in St. Louis. He is also a Six-Sigma Greenbelt.

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
Chapter 1	Introduction to Kanban	1
Chapter 2	Forming Your Kanban Team	19
Chapter 3	Conduct Data Collection	32
Chapter 4	Size the Kanban	48
Chapter 5	Developing a Kanban Design	86
Chapter 6	Training	124
Chapter 7	Initial Startup and Common Pitfalls	137
Chapter 8	Auditing the Kanban	148
Chapter 9	Improving the Kanban	158
Chapter 10	Conclusion	178
	Appendixes
Appendix A	MRP vs. Kanban	181
Appendix B	Kanban Supermarkets	185
Appendix C	Two-Bin Kanban Systems	189
Appendix D	Organizational Changes Required for Kanban	197
Appendix E	EOQ vs. Kanban	203
Appendix F	Implementation in Large Plants	215
Appendix G	Intra-Cell Kanban	219
Appendix H	Case Study 1: Motor Plant--Casting Kanban	223
Appendix I	Case Study 2: Rubber Extrusion Plant	233
Appendix J	Acronyms	247
	Index	249
	About the Authors	259

Editorial Reviews

Gross (The Fundamentals of Preventative Maintenance) and productivity expert McInnis are both knowledgeable about manufacturing and industrial engineering. Their book, Kanban Made Simple, is not simple at all-at least for anyone without experience in manufacturing. The text is filled with diagrams, flow charts, and tables that illustrate how a "just-in-time" approach to production and distribution reduces waste and potentially increases profits-especially important now because excess inventory has contributed to the economic downturn of recent years, say the authors. They argue that if manufacturers want to apply this theory successfully, they must not fear change and should be willing to decentralize decision making. First developed at Toyota, the concept of "just-in-time" has been in practice worldwide for several years now, but pressure to achieve profitability in tough times is forcing those who have not used it to reconsider how they operate. This book (and its companion CD-ROM) would be a valuable addition to libraries at colleges with industrial engineering or MBA programs, but with so much technical detail it is suited only to large public libraries.-Stephen Turner, Turner & Assocs., San Francisco Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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