Value Stream & supermarkets

[berzerk]

I've created a current state value stream map of our process, and I'm trying to propose a future state Map. My concern is where to establish supermarkets and what's the appropriate ordering mechanism to use (min/MAX VS kanban) any practical guidelines out there?

 

[BillPSU]

Avoid supermarkets as much as possible. Instead or keeping materials in a supermarket keep it next to the point of use. Utilizing your space near the point of use is better than utilizing space in a supermarket. Having to move the material to the supermarket and then to the point of use is wasted effort.

kanban is an pull execution system while min/max is an inventory system. Use kanban if possible. Management of either system is what is usually overlooked. Production goes down kanban cards need to reduce. Production goes up kanban cards need to increase. Even if the mix changes kanban cards may need to increase or decrease. If min/max is used the quantities should also be managed.

 

[tmccann]

There are Min/Max KANBAN's though. Kanban operates on a pull push system. I have never experienced a pure pull system nor have I been able to ever create one. There will always be buffers, herbie has to reside somewhere!

POU is the way to go per BillPSU depending on available space due to part geometry and size.

I always ask myself these simple questions:

If can't produce only ONE part list why, if can't flow only ONE part list why, if can't touch a part only ONCE list why. This has helped me fashion future state as well as mflow and management of critical processes and bottlenecks. Keep it as simple as possible. Limit and or eliminate the start stop in between the processes. Flow what you can, KANBAN the remainder that fits KANBAN standards, and deal with the exceptions on a one by one basis - specials / MTO's.