Customer-Pull Kanban Simulation
Upgrade your Car Factory Kit to include the LM Kanban Simulation.
The upgrade kit supplies the additional materials to turn your Basic, Companion, Deluxe, Deluxe Plus or Master Trainer kits into a fully integrated customer-driven value stream from customer to factory to supplier.
This simulation training will help participants understand how lean philosophy and techniques can be applied in a customer-pull product flow utilizing kanban cards, signaling devices and heijunka planning to control flow and inventory levels.
The event is the Zoom-Zoom Car Factory and Showroom. Customers take delivery from the Show Room at random, which triggers stock replacement from the factory Warehouse, which then triggers the Planning Dept to order a replenishment from the Factory, which in turn causes a duplicate car to flow back into the Show Room. Along the way, various kanban methods are employed.
The LM Kanban Simulation is presented in four events - all four are a full value stream and utilize kaizen and inventory metrics to analyze flow; the last two events utilize the heijunka planning method and heijunka box to sequence flow. All events calculate the Earned Value; Margin as a percent of sales; and Inventory levels. All four events also introduce Little's Law metrics equation TH = WIP x CT. See Fun with Little's Law.
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS - The event set up is variable but works best when the Factory and the Show Room are separated by some space such that a Conveyance person is required. The Warehouse can also be separated from the Factory if there is adequate space available. The minimum number of participants is 7, then Conveyance people, Observers, and Metrics people can be added as needed.FACILITATION - A single facilitator can easily control the team when using the printed and laminated participant place mat instruction sheets. The laminated sheets include heijunka calculator charts and wet erase markers, plus the Excel 10-Second Test, the Earned Value and Margin Calculator, and the Inventory metric calculators aid in keeping track of bottom line improvements. EVENT TIME - Event time is approximately 1 hour per event step, but depends upon the facilitator and how much time is spent on focusing on specific opportunities such as inventory control, or kanban techniques, or financial metrics for each flow type.This Upgrade Kit requires at least one Car Factory Kit, and while not absolutely necessary, the LeanMan Deluxe Plus Heijunka Package or the Heijunka Upgrade Kit is highly recommended to obtain the Heijunka Box and supermarket slide board. Or, you can get it all and more in the LM Lean Principles Advanced Trainer.
Please note: the Kanban Simulation events #3 and #4 call for the use of the Heijunka Box and Supermarket Inventory Slideboard which are sold separately as part of the Deluxe Plus Heijunka or the Heijunka Upgrade kits. However, the Readme file facilitator notes will provide an adequate albeit less fun alternate method to perform the event without these two items.