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"Pull" Manufacturing (One-Piece Flow) Traditional
manufacturing plants use a "push" production
strategy. Production schedules
The
tool typically used to control process flow is the
kanban, a visual signal When
there is a problem in a downstream operation that
ceases production there, a signal is sent to
temporarily halt upstream operations to avoid
build-up of inventory. Obviously, such a system
requires that production interruptions be rare to
avoid halting production plant-wide. That is the
reason pull systems require the implementation of
Total
Productive Maintenance
(TPM)
as well as a Quality Improvement system. Under a
traditional "push" scenario, operating Designing the proper pull system pays big dividends, but depends on the characteristics of each manufacturing operation. While a pull system has inherent advantages over a traditional push system, contrary to what some believe, not all product lines in every plant lend themselves to a pull methodology. Granite Bay can help you implement a production flow system tailored to your operation and customer requirements and help you to reduce lead-times, reduce inventory and achieve customer satisfaction goals. Call us today! |
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are
developed for each area based on sales forecasts,
and each area runs at maximum capacity, pushing
material downstream. Under a "push" system, it is
easy to determine which operations are running at
peak efficiency: their downstream customers are
buried in product. In an effort to maximize the
utilization of each process, mountains of inventory
appear between work stations throughout the plant,
interrupting material flow, disconnecting work
stations and lengthening production
In
a Pull system, material flow is triggered when a
customer order "pulls" material from finished goods
inventory. Through a signalling process, the
preceding work station produces a replenishment
supply and this work center signals its upstream
work center to produce more units and the process
continues up the line. Production is always
triggered by demand from the next work
center.
The
objective of Pull Manufacturing is to simplify
production scheduling, minimize lead times and
inventories, and to improve linkages between
processes for better corrective action. "Pull"
better links the production process to customer
demand. Such systems are designed to respond with
minimal cost and waste and to enable the
manufacturing process to flex to meet changes in
demand volume and mix. The strategy is simple,
visible, and controlled and "owned" by shop floor
personnel.
(card,
storage area, electronic signal, etc.) that
notifies the upstream operation whether additional
product is needed at the downstream operation.
Permission to produce is given not by upstream to
downstream processes but vice versa, depending on
the quantity of material in process or in queue at
the downstream operation. 
problems
are hidden because the rest of the operations
continue to produce WIP inventory.