What Different Pull Systems Can Be Combined?

In my last few posts I have shown you different ways to establish pull systems, and which one is right for you. This post discusses how you can mix and combine these systems. You can combine some pull systems within the same pull loop, although there are some restrictions. Combinations of different kanban systems are very common, often also including a CONWIP system.

You can also combine different pull systems for sequential loop, where for example a kanban system feeds into a CONWIP system. This blog post is loosely based on chapter 3.3 and 11.1.7 of my new book All About Pull Production: Designing, Implementing, and Maintaining Kanban, CONWIP, and other Pull Systems in Lean Production.

This is a cross post with the same article on Planet Lean.

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Which Pull System Is Right for You?

In my last few posts I showed you different types of pull systems, and an overview of the criteria on how to decide which one is right or you. In this post I finally give you a hands-on guide to decide which pull system to use. This blog post is loosely based on chapter 3.2 of my new book All About Pull Production: Designing, Implementing, and Maintaining Kanban, CONWIP, and other Pull Systems in Lean Production. Let’s have a look:

This is a cross post with the same article on Planet Lean.

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What Are the Criteria to Decide on a Pull System?

There are different ways to establish a pull system. In my last post I gave an overview of the different types of pull system. Before telling you which one to use when I want to show you the different factors that should go into your decision. What do you have to pay attention to if you want to select a pull system? This post is loosely based on chapter 3.1 of my new book All About Pull Production: Designing, Implementing, and Maintaining Kanban, CONWIP, and other Pull Systems in Lean Production. Let’s have a look:

This is also a cross-post with the same article on Planet Lean.

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The Different Ways to Establish Pull Production

Kanban is the best known way to establish pull production. But it is not the only way. There are many different methods to create a pull system. This blog post is loosely based on my new book All About Pull Production: Designing, Implementing, and Maintaining Kanban, CONWIP, and other Pull Systems in Lean Production, which is a practical guide for anyone looking to implement pull systems. Let me give you an overview.

This is a Cross-Post with the (almost) identical article 7 tools to establish pull production on Planet Lean.

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How to Make CONWIP Loops

Red Roller Coaster
CONWIP-go-round with different jobs: like a roller coaster with different people

CONWIP (Constant Work in Progress) is an easy way to establish pull production for custom-made products. Traditionally there is only one large loop for the product. However, there may also be situations where it is sensible to split a longer CONWIP loop into smaller segments. Let’s have a look at the details.

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Different Ways to Establish a Pull System – Part 2

This is the second post on different types of pull production. It features the less commonly known approaches of triangle kanban, drum-buffer-rope, reorder point (surprise, yes, it is a pull system),  reorder period (also a pull system), and FIFO lanes. In my previous post I showed you the kanban system and its variant, the two-bin system, as well as CONWIP and the kanban-CONWIP hybrid.

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Different Ways to Establish a Pull System – Part 1

Rope pullingPull production is one of the most important aspects of lean production. Its key feature is to have an upper limit on inventory that is not to be exceeded. The most well-known way to implement a pull system is by using kanban cards. However, there are many others. In this short series of two posts, I want to give you an overview of the different ways to implement pull systems, and discuss the pros and cons of them.

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Why Pull Is So Great!

Rope pulling
Pull your production! (even though the term “Pull” is quite misleading)

One of the most significant insights of the Toyota Production System is its concept of pull production. While often misunderstood, the essence of pull production is a clearly defined limit on the work in progress. Push or pull actually has nothing to do with the direction of the information or material flow. But why does this limit on work in progress make so much difference? Why do pull systems vastly outperform push production systems?

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