Signal Kanaban

Every container or bin in your production facility is marked with a so called Kanban card or signal. The time the last component is taken, the Kanban is send to the source it came in production and is added to the so called Kanban Board. This board actually shows you the amount of inventory you have in production. It is a great tool to minimize the risk of overproduction and can be used to steer your production facility. Besides this it helps you to have control of your inventories itself of course . Based on the design of Kanban Cards it is possible to identify directly where the container belongs to and in what interval you have to check on it.

The checking and supply of material or components lies in the hands of the mizusumashi.

Mizusumashi

Water Spider or Mizusumashi

Mizusumashi or in other terms called Water Spider is the responsible employee of the inbound logistics for supplying workstations and keeping production going without interruption.

The Mizusumashi is someone who moves quickly and efficiently from station to station in order to collect and deliver material/components to the primary members of a flow cell. Through the Mizusumashi we try to move as much of the non value adding work away from the primary process steps as possible and is centralized to the water spider.

The Mizusumashi differs from a material handler in that the sequence of operations and the way the tasks are performed are specified. A water spider’s purpose is to handle the replenishment tasks so that the production personnel can focus on the value-added tasks that create products.

Always keep in mind that a Mizusumashi has a clearly standardized process. The rounds should always stay the same as well as the replenishment tasks. They collect the finished goods from the lines, drop Kanban Cards, refill Kanban Boxes and remove waste material. All of these tasks relieve the operators in the line and keep up the production flow.

For the best utilization of a Mizusumashi a proper setup is critical. For everyone involved on the shop floor you must have clear rules. This means clear location for bins, full and empty, clear visual controls that initiates the action of the Mizusumashi and strict following of 5S rules according to designated locations of components and goods

With the help of a Mizusumashi you have the chance to minimize variation and improve the production flow. Following the lean principles you don’t want to waste time and keep up working in sequence. The key is having a position that keeps the operator in place and let them do the job without interruption.

Of course with the role of a Water Spider there is some waste involved. Often they leave their designated route to check on stations without any sign of shortage. But nevertheless in the end the buffer range for all stations will go down, which means that the fixed capital on the shop floor will shrink.