Lean principles / Kanban
Kanban: produce and replenish only what the line consumes
Kanban is the physical pull signal: a card that travels with the container and goes back to the picking point when the contents are used up. It works if the card does not get lost, if it can be read by a scanner and if the board shows the state of the flow. Here are the aids we use to put it into practice.
On the container, readable
Mailboxes and collection
Kanban, traffic light, heijunka
FIFO, supermarket, tugger train
Kanban in the EPA
Why kanban only works if it is physical
Electronic kanban moves data, not containers. On the shop floor the signal must be where the material is: on the KLT, on the roller track, on the board in front of whoever does the replenishing.
The holders matter: a card in a generic pouch comes off, gets wet and cannot be read by the scanner. Card holders compliant with VDA 4902 slot into the KLT label recesses, are UV-resistant and last for years.
How to spot it on the shop floor
Signal 1
Cards lost or rewritten by hand, reorders made “by eye”.
Signal 2
A kanban board nobody updates because the cards have no physical place.
Signal 3
Double stock at the lineside: one managed by the system, one by the fear of running out.
01
The card travels with the container
Card holders designed for KLTs, Euroboxes, cartons and crates: they slot in with one movement and can be read by a scanner.
The problem
Adhesive pouches that come off, cards stuck between parts, unreadable barcodes.
The solution
ORGATEX card holders in rigid PVC, compliant with VDA 4902, in 9 colours and three sizes; hanging and angled versions for containers without a label recess.
KLT-Snapper
Top loading, VDA 4902
For KLT containers: swap the card quickly and read it with the scanner. 9 colours, 3 sizes.
KAN-Label
Side loading, VDA 4902
Closed on three sides, fits the label recesses of KLTs and Euroboxes and kanban boards. 9 colours, 3 sizes.
Kanban-Cover, hanging
For Euroboxes and wire mesh
Hangs on the container rim without adhesives or magnets; containers remain stackable.
Self-adhesive label holder
For non-KLT containers
Rigid transparent PVC, protects the label from dust and UV; quick insertion.
See also: Card holders for containers · Angled Kanban-Cover for cartons and panels
02
The card comes back
When the container is empty, the card goes into the mailbox: the mizusumashi collects it on every round and reorders.
The problem
Cards left on the bench or in a pocket, skipped collection rounds, late reorders.
The solution
Transparent kanban mailboxes, wall-mounted or magnetic, sized to VDA 4902; standard KLT with two card slots.
Kanban mailbox
Up to 40 cards
Transparent plastic, wall-mounted or magnetic; sizes from A6 to A4.
R-KLT container
Two card slots
VDA 4500 standard, reinforced base, 210×80 mm label holders; 5 sizes.
RL-KLT container
Smooth base for roller tracks
Runs smoothly on gravity roller tracks; 2 kanban label holders, 5 sizes.
Dolly Type VII C
Kit at picking height
Raised deck and Easy Lock drawbar for the tugger train; for kits and light components.
See also: Kanban mailboxes · Containers, pallets and lids
03
The kanban board, the traffic light and heijunka
The board shows what is on track, what is urgent and what is levelled in the shift: visible to both those who replenish and those who plan.
The problem
Planning lives in an office spreadsheet; on the shop floor nobody knows which kanbans have been released and which are late.
The solution
Interlocking Systembox to build wall-mounted kanban and heijunka boards, Cardplan® with overlapping pockets, red/yellow/green traffic light and complete starter sets.
Systembox
Interlocking card holders
122 × 192 mm, in rows and columns: kanban, traffic-light and heijunka boards on the wall or on a whiteboard. 8 colours.
Kanban Starter Set
A complete board in one delivery
Whiteboards, Systembox, brackets and card stock for 200, 300 or 400 cards; mobile or wall-mounted.
Cardplan® – Insertion board
Overlapping pockets
For cards and sheets from 74 to 297 mm, visible edge from 15 to 90 mm; kanban, heijunka and visual management.
Traffic light system for Cardplan®
Red, yellow, green
Corner pieces that slide onto the pockets: they turn the board into a kanban traffic light or divide it into rows.
See also: Kanban and heijunka boards · Systembox · Information boards
04
The physical flow that kanban controls
The card authorises the movement; FIFO roller tracks, supermarkets and the tugger train carry it out without forklifts.
The problem
The kanban says replenish, but material arrives whenever the forklift driver is free.
The solution
Green Frame gravity roller tracks for supermarkets, friction rollers to control speed, dollies and tugger train for the mizusumashi round.
Gravity roller tracks
Supermarket and flow rack
Roller tracks, guides and accessories: full containers flow down to the operator, empties go back.
Friction roller
Controlled speed
Brakes containers by friction as they roll along the lane.
Dolly Type VII B
In convoy
Easy Lock drawbar and hitch: 250 kg per dolly, up to 1,000 kg in the train.
LiftLiner
Tugger train
Up to 8 trolleys per round, 1,000 kg per bay; hooks up to the electric tractor, AGV included.
See also: Tugger train and milk run · Floor FIFO lanes · Selection guide to dollies, trolleys and FIFO lanes
05
Kanban in ESD areas
The same holders, in dissipative material compliant with DIN EN 61340-5-1, for areas protected against electrostatic discharge.
The problem
Card holders and mailboxes in ordinary plastic cannot enter an EPA.
The solution
ESD versions of KLT-Snapper, KAN-Label and mailbox in permanently conductive IDP-STAT® PVC.
KLT-Snapper ESD
DIN EN 61340-5-1 compliant
Quick insertion, barcode reading; VDA 4902 compliant.
See also: Visual management for EPAs · Electronics and electromechanics
Tools to get started
Card holders, mailboxes and Systembox
Build your board and card holders
Dollies, milk run and Park Station
Have an industrial project to develop?
Choose where to start. Or call us: +39 0434 572757.
Robot demo at your site
We bring the robot to your shop floor and you see it working on your own routes.
On-site visit
We come to see your shop floor, flows and spaces, and propose the right solution.