Matthias Thurer

Many shops have simplified their production control by using card-based systems such as kanban and Constant Work-in-Process (ConWIP). Although these systems provide a simple and highly effective visual approach for controlling manufacturing and service operations, all too many shops struggle with failed implementations or achieve results that fall below expectations. These outcomes can be attributed to a poor fit between the actual control problem and the solution applied. This book takes a different approach to most other books on the subject as it starts with an introduction to the control problem, instead of the control solution. Card-Based Control Systems for a Lean Work Design outlines how the problems encountered in typical manufacturing shops and service providers can be characterized, which allows for improved problem diagnosis. The first four chapters of the book lay the foundations for problem diagnosis. The next three chapters then discuss, in sequence, each of the three "traditional" card-based control systems: kanban, ConWIP, and Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization (POLCA). The book explains how each of these card-based control systems works and identifies the specific type of control problem to which each system applies. The next two chapters focus on Control of Balance by Card-Based Navigation (COBACABANA), a system developed for high-variety shops producing made-to-order, customized products. This is the first book to discuss this novel approach, which includes the use of cards to estimate due dates or delivery time allowances. The book closes with a framework that provides guidance on which system to apply. This framework contrasts the control problem with the control solution. The potential of combining card-based systems is also discussed to create a nested solution.

Das Buch beschreibt – erstmalig in deutscher Übersetzung – die Grundlagen von Kanban, ConWIP und POLCA. Es ist das erste Werk, das ein kartenbasiertes Steuerungssystem für komplexe Auftragsfertigungen präsentiert – COBACABANA. In vielen Fällen sind auftretende Steuerungsprobleme und gewählte Lösungen nicht richtig aufeinander abgestimmt. Deshalb unterscheidet sich dieses Buch vom typischen Vorgehen. Zunächst werden die Eigenschaften typischer Probleme in Produktions- und Dienstleistungsunternehmen skizziert und die Grundlage für eine Problemdiagnose geschaffen. Anschließend werden vier alternative kartenbasierte Steuerungssysteme (Kanban, ConWIP, POLCA, COBACABANA) zur Bewältigung der Steuerungsprobleme vorgestellt. Die Schätzung von Fälligkeitsterminen oder Lieferfristen bildet eine Erweiterung des Anwendungsbereiches kartenbasierter Systeme. Dieses Buch ist ein praktischer Leitfaden, der bei der Suche nach der passenden Lösung eines speziellen Steuerungsproblems wirkungsvoll unterstützt. Im Anhang findet sich eine anschauliche Zusammenfassung für jedes System zum Nachschlagen.

This book approaches Lean as an exercise in work design – hence its title. To provide an integrated view of the different perspectives of lean work design, the book examines the major work design decisions from each perspective. It identifies the principles involved in lean operations and examines three existing theories of work design that help define lean operations: systems theory; system variance and the three buffers utilized to protect the system from variance (inventory, capacity and lead time); and organizational information processing theory. The intended outcome for readers of this book will be an understanding of what is meant by Lean, how it applies to work design, and how it can be implemented in a variety of industries and organizational settings to make those organizations more competitive.

Many shops have simplified their production control by using card-based systems such as kanban and Constant Work-in-Process (ConWIP). Although these systems provide a simple and highly effective visual approach for controlling manufacturing and service operations, all too many shops struggle with failed implementations or achieve results that fall below expectations. These outcomes can be attributed to a poor fit between the actual control problem and the solution applied. This book takes a different approach to most other books on the subject—as it starts with an introduction to the control problem, instead of the control solution. Card-Based Control Systems for a Lean Work Design outlines how the problems encountered in typical manufacturing shops and service providers can be characterized, which allows for improved problem diagnosis. The first four chapters of the book lay the foundations for problem diagnosis. The next three chapters then discuss, in sequence, each of the three "traditional" card-based control systems: kanban, ConWIP, and Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization (POLCA). The book explains how each of these card-based control systems works and identifies the specific type of control problem to which each system applies. The next two chapters focus on Control of Balance by Card-Based Navigation (COBACABANA), a system developed for high-variety shops producing made-to-order, customized products. This is the first book to discuss this novel approach, which includes the use of cards to estimate due dates or delivery time allowances. The book closes with a framework that provides guidance on which system to apply. This framework contrasts the control problem with the control solution. The potential of combining card-based systems is also discussed to create a nested solution.