Where can Kanban be used?

Since it originally got its start in the 1940’s, the Kanban strategy has been adopted by thousands of different facilities and companies around the world. It is a proven strategy for increasing efficiency, eliminating waste, and generally improving the way things are done within a facility. Many more businesses think about using the Kanban concepts, but aren’t sure if they would translate to their industry. The fact is, Kanban can be used in a wide-range of different places. Take a moment to read through some great examples.

Kanban in Manufacturing

Of course, Kanban is best known in the manufacturing industry. It allows workstations to properly manage the inventory of parts that they need, and much more. Kanban can also help by encouraging continuous improvement of how things are done, and helping to eliminate waste from throughout the facility.

Kanban in Warehouses

Warehousing is another area where Kanban is commonly used. Many warehouses store large numbers of objects for one company, or even for many different companies. The Kanban strategies can help to better keep an accurate inventory of what is stored in the facility, and where it is. In addition, the visual communication solutions of Kanban can be very helpful.

Kanban in the Supermarket

Supermarkets are an ideal place for Kanban strategies. Making sure that there is enough of every product on the shelves, but not so much that it will spoil before it is purchased, is a critical task in this environment. Kanban was designed specifically to help accomplish these goals in any environment, which is why so many supermarket chains are adopting it. 

Kanban in Car Sales

Car dealerships and related businesses can use the Kanban system to make sure they don’t get too many of one particular make or model of vehicle. In addition, it can be used to track how many of the latest model year is needed throughout the year so the dealership doesn’t get stuck with vehicles from a previous model year that may be harder to sell.

 Many More!

Of course, there are many more industries that can benefit from the Kanban system. In fact, just about every company could find a way to gain improvements from the strategies behind Kanban. Look around your business and see where waste elimination, the prevention of overstocking supplies, and continuous improvement could be beneficial today.