The KANBAN system responds to the concept of practical management invented by the Japanese company Toyota in the ’50s. KANBAN means “signal”.
That company kept it a secret as a strategic weapon to outperform the competition. Years later it comes to light and the KANBAN first revolutionizes the automotive industry worldwide then it is used in all types of companies due to its simplicity of operation and the great benefits that it brings to the management of the flow of materials and reduction of inventories.
It has been shown that practical management through what is known as “The Visual Factory ” improves the performance of companies by reducing production time by up to 14%.
Most companies are poorly organized, which causes them to waste time and resources in addition to the existing knowledge of their employees.
In order to alleviate the deficiencies in the different phases of production, the concept of the visual factory is developed. This concept is one that has been applied in supermarkets for years, where any customer who enters is aware of where things are and is self-sufficient to make their own decisions.
With this new organization model, all the details are evident, so that any error is perfectly visible. Therefore, it makes it possible to detect problems in their initial phase, in addition, the latent resources of each person are used to the maximum, which supposes a minimum investment.
Priority is assigned to each component, be it raw material, work tools, the final product, etc., in a specific and adjusted place known by all the employees, which allows each one of them to quickly make a general evaluation of the situation. In the case of a factory, just by taking a look, any worker can control stocks, find out the situation of each production phase, calculate the material processed and the amount to be processed, see if the established objectives are being met, etc
Our practical experience has shown after applying the visual method that companies have more physical and potential space than they have been using in recent years.
Similarly, a more sophisticated but equally adept concern is to make information and knowledge visible. The simple display of the indicators in real-time through “dashboards” makes it possible to visualize what is happening at different levels and correctly manage “current” knowledge.
The visual method manages to make the processes evident, improves the organization, allows early decisions to be made in the face of permanent changes in circumstances, and anticipates the appearance of problems; All of this ultimately translates into an improvement in the work environment (fewer discussions, tensions, etc.), reduction of the production cycle, increased capacity and, consequently, economic benefits for shareholders.
