eKanban Software as a Service
Go Lean without Disruption - Speed Production with Optimized
Inventory Levels
GSInnovate eKanban Edition brings the advantages of highly-efficient lean manufacturing production process just-in-time on-demand to your business without disruption. Delivered over the Web without the need of dedicated IT staff, GSInnovate eKanban Edition compliments your existing technology to bring immediate value to your production process and business.
Automatic Materials and Inventory Replenishing for a Demand-Driven Environment
Kanban, a technique for work and inventory release, is a major component of Just-in-Time (JIT) and Lean Manufacturing philosophy. Kanban was originally developed at Toyota as a way to manage material flow to the assembly line. Over time, the Kanban process—a highly efficient and effective factory production system—has become an essential tool in competing in today's environment.
The Kanban Process
Kanban stands for Kan- card, Ban- signal. The essence of the Kanban concept is that a supplier, the warehouse or the manufacturer should deliver components only when they are needed so that there is no excess inventory. Within this system, workstations located along production lines only produce or deliver desired components when they receive a card and an empty container, which indicates that more parts are needed in production.
The problem with this in a fast moving, ever changing environment is lack of visibility, planners know that demand will be fulfilled because containers are empty but have no ability to schedule or plan the demand and it is this reason why eKanban was developed.
GSInnovate eKanban Edition - Go Lean without Disruption
Rather than re-architect your business, GSInnovate eKanban Edition brings the advantages of lean manufacturing in a pluggable on-demand solution. Your production process improves immediately for GSInnovate eKanban Edition provides your business the ability to monitor inventory levels and establishes triggers to automatically replenish inventory when a predefined minimum for each controlled item is reached. The replenishment could be a works order, purchase order or material move from one store location to another.
In eKanban you defined the material supply chain and the system does the rest as activity is reported.
Further, it provides important inventory control benefits, including:
- Full automation, which reduces work and increases accuracy
- Minimal amount of inventory at any given time
- Auto-replenishment to suppliers, reducing planning and purchase order cycle
- Customer consumption driven processes
- Excellent customer service with minimal effort
- Ability to work with multiple companies across multiple continents
With GSInnovate eKanban Edition, the eKanban pull trigger is done automatically to enable you to focus on the material movement while the system manages the data movement. GSInnovate eKanban Edition does this by establishing triggers that are executed when a pre-defined minimum is reached. It knows to create an eKanban pull for the predefined quantity of material from the supply location to the consumption location within the supply chain. Pulls for sub-assemblies will generate Work Orders and pulls for components will create move tickets.
GSInnovate eKanban Edition establishes the same auto-triggers for purchased material. Just as with Electronic Kanban within the four walls, GSInnovate eKanban Edition manages the data manipulation by triggering the proper initiator (i.e. Purchase Order or Blanket Release) to the supplier. The data required for this execution, including pricing details, is simply maintained in the item/supplier cross-reference.
Supplier consigned material is supported in a similar way as material is moved from consigned to stocking locations pull orders are generated to re-supply the consigned locations. The material is still considered to belong to the supplier until they are actually used. Financial records are maintained and invoicing is not triggered until the material is moved to a 'non-consigned' location.
eKanban extends the classic Kanban process to include re-supply of customer consigned material. As customers consume material eKanban will generate new Sales Order Deliveries and so replenish the material consumed by the customers.
GSInnovate eKanban Edition can add significant value to your supply chain and support efforts for Lean operations by optimizing efficiency and cost effectiveness of materials and their movement.
On-Demand Value
- Secure, 24x7 on-line access
- No specialized software or additional hardware required (access via your Web browser)
- No technical staff needed to maintain GSInnovate Inventory Edition
- Application advancements and feature/functionality upgrades occur seamlessly with no disruption to your business
- Per-User Pricing
- No Long-Term Commitment
- Friendly, real-people support from manufacturing experts
To learn more, request a Web demo for a closer view. Or call 1-877-474-8896 to speak with one of our inventory experts.
