Why can’t we get a more accurate forecast from sales? Manufacturing managers the world over have the same complaint. Maybe the word “forecast” is tripping everyone up. A forecast is a prediction. Maybe it is based on some kind of market analysis, maybe even asking the dealers what they think they will sell. It could [...]
My friend Tom poses an interesting question to production managers: “If I ask you to produce different quantities and types of products every day, what quantity of people, materials, machines, and space do you need?” Of course the answer is usually, at best, inarticulate and, at worst, a blank stare. There isn’t any way to [...]
For kanban to work well, there has to be a solid foundation under it. That foundation is production leveling or heijunka. Before I get to far into this, though, I would like to point something out: At the mention of leveling, people who are only just learning about kanban will point out all of the [...]
