Synchrono releases white paper offering advice on moving to e-kanban technology

St. Paul, Minn.-based Synchrono®, a provider of demand-driven manufacturing software and synchronization technology, has released a new InSync paper, “Going eKanban,” available for download at www.synchrono.com.

Grounded in lean manufacturing and JIT principles, kanban is a pull-based inventory replenishment process originally introduced by the Toyota Motor Co. to improve production flow on its assembly line. The process allows manufacturers to respond quickly to changes in demand while maintaining minimal on-hand inventories.

A kanban contains information on the part or component tracked in inventory and the point at which to reorder. Manufacturers using an electronic kanban (e-kanban) system scan parts or components as they are received into inventory and again as they are consumed. E-kanban software aligns inventory levels with real-time consumption, sending demand signals to suppliers to replenish parts as needed. These signals are tracked through the replenishment cycle, bringing visibility to both the manufacturer and its supplier.