Basic shapes
| Shape | Name | Represents |
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Process |
An area of flow, or an individual operation. |
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Waiting |
A delay in processing caused by waiting. |
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Outside Sources |
Customers, suppliers, and outside manufacturing processes that provide materials or services. |
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Information |
An information flow or a schedule. |
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Kaizen Burst |
A point where improvements should be investigated. A possible candidate for a kaizen workshop. |
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Kanban Post |
A kanban collection point. |
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Withdrawal |
The point where a downstream process pulls from an upstream supermarket. |
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Load Leveling |
A tool that levels the amount and mix of kanbans over a given time period to create a steady flow. |
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Operator |
A person in a work cell. More than one person can occupy a work cell. |
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Decision |
The point where a decision must be made. |
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Work Cell |
A close arrangement of people, machines, and materials designed to increase efficiency and reduce waste through continuous flow and small batch sizes. |
Inventory shapes
| Shape | Name | Represents |
|---|---|---|
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Inventory |
Materials that are at a process step, waiting to be used. |
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Supermarket |
A controlled inventory that supplies a downstream process without interruption. The open side should face the process that supplies the materials for the supermarket. |
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Buffer Stock |
A type of inventory that is used to protect against uncertainties in customer demand and in the supply chain. Also know as safety stock. |
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FIFO Sequence Flow |
A type of inventory that promotes consistent, sequential workflow by requiring that the first piece to enter the inventory is also the first piece to enter the subsequent process step (first in; first out). |
Transport shapes
| Shape | Name | Represents |
|---|---|---|
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Truck |
Shipments of materials or products that are delivered by truck. |
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Plane |
Shipments of materials or products that are delivered by plane. |
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Ship |
Shipments of materials or products that are delivered by ship. |
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Train |
Shipments of materials or products that are delivered by train. |
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Conveyor |
Materials or products that are delivered by conveyor. |
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Forklift |
Materials or products that are delivered by a person operating a forklift. |
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Hand Carrier |
Materials or products that are hand-delivered. |
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Hand Cart |
Materials or products that are delivered by a person pushing a hand cart. |
Scheduling shapes
| Shape | Name | Represents |
|---|---|---|
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Signal Kanban |
A signal to produce a batch of parts from the supplying process. Use it when the supplying process requires changeovers. |
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Production Kanban |
A signal to produce a certain amount of a part or service. |
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Withdrawal Kanban |
A signal to acquire or transfer materials. |
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Batches Kanban |
Materials that move in batches. |
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Sequenced-Pull Ball |
A signal to immediately produce a given quantity of a part or service. Use it in a pull system without supermarkets. |
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Go See Scheduling |
A signal to adjust the schedule based on the actual workplace. |
Connectors
| Shape | Name | Represents |
|---|---|---|
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Manual Information Flow |
The manual transfer of information, such as a printed production schedule. |
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Electronic Information Flow |
The electronic transfer of information, such as an online form. |
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Kanban Path |
The flow of kanbans in a value stream. |
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Push Arrow |
The movement of materials or work that are pushed, instead of pulled, through the value stream. |
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Finished Goods |
The movement of material or finished goods. |
