Common Barriers to Moving from Push to Pull Manufacturing

Throughout this white paper series, we have explored how to use an eKanban (electronic Kanban) system to gain clarity, control, confidence and greater competitive advantage.

This is the fifth white paper in our series exploring Pullbased Kanban systems.

Each paper in the series looks at the manufacturing system from a different perspective. In the first paper, Gaining Control: Exploring Push vs. Pull Manufacturing, we looked at systems and workflow processes, exploring the nature of Push and Pull methodologies along with the difference between manual and eKanban systems within a Pull environment.

Barriers/challenges addressed:

• Organizations initiate material replenishment automation programs without properly analyzing processes and priorities for internal and external stakeholders.
• Manufacturers are unsure about their current replenishment capabilities within ERP and other systems, and are unsure whether to fix, buy or build a solution to gain the capabilities they need.
• Disruptions in leadership and a change-averse environment can create barriers to improved production flow and automating processes.
• Questions are unanswered regarding whether a replenishment solution can enhance flow and enable continuous improvements.