TABLE OF CONTENTS Now that the kanban system is physically designed and in place, Emca must develop and communicate a plan to manage the system on a daily basis. The plan must cover who is responsible for the various aspects of managing the system, and it must define normal and abnormal conditions so that the system users can respond quickly and appropriately if abnormal conditions occur.
Because kanban is a production control function engineered into the value stream, the value stream manager is ultimately responsible for the health, well-being and continual improvement of the mixed model kanban system. It is the value stream manager that must make sure everyone adheres to the documented procedures for operating the system. The value stream manager will require support from the various kanban system users to help him or her be successful. First and foremost, it is through the proper and diligent use of the kanban system that production control, material handlers, and supplying and consuming process owners provide the best support. System users can provide an additional level of support by giving the value stream manager real-time kanban system performance feedback, especially regarding the abnormal conditions discussed in this section, and by sharing additional improvement ideas.
Under normal conditions, the production control manager, with frequent involvement of the value stream manager, will need to manage the day-to-day operational situations that commonly arise. Such situations include:
Introducing single use kanban cards
Tracking and adjusting kanban equation variables
Introducing new products into...
