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What Are Kanban Cards With Kanban Card Example? (Kanban Card Template)

Kanban cards are an essential element of Kanban. The Japanese word kanban (看板) means signboard or visual board.

Kanban cards imply the requirement to move products within a production center or to move materials from an external provider into the production facility. Therefore, the Kanban card is a message that signals the depletion of an item, parts, or inventory.

When a Kanban card is obtained, the card (Kanban) activates replenishment of that product, part, or stock. So the consumption center drives demand for more production, and the Kanban card signals a request for more items. In summary, Kanban cards help produce a demand-driven system.

Supporters of lean movement extensively hold demand-driven systems result in much faster turnarounds in production and end-user delivery.

Lower stock levels help companies using these systems become more competitive. That enables companies to use their available resources optimally.

A manufacturing Kanban card may contain the following information, while the specific details included on a Kanban card example can differ from one system to another.

• Part description,
• Part / Item number,
• An identifying bar code or QR code,
• The number of parts to be ordered, produced or transported,
• Routing information (associated upstream and downstream processes),
• Location information,
• Lead time,
• Supplier,
• The accountable individual (mostly a coordinator),
• The order date,
• The due date,
• Type of container,
• Order of containers (for example, Kanban card 2 of 4).

Cards are usually fixed to a container, effectively turning the bin into a Kanban signal. In other cases, a Kanban card is temporarily attached to shelves of bins.

These Kanban cards (signal cards) are an integral part of a Kanban system to manage inventory. A Kanban card must be treated like a highly regulated item. Losing one can quickly close down a production line and fully interrupt the production until the missing parts are again available.