PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK …While kanban may be the simplest replenishment system to understand conceptually, it is the most complex to apply successfully. This is not the fault of the practitioner or of the kanban methodology; it is due, instead, to many books' oversimplification of kanban as a one-size-fits-all application that is, at best, a visual rendering. The literature does not deal with complexities faced by the practitioner in applying this powerful tool to his or her specific environment.

Now with Productivity Press' Custom Kanban - - Designing the System to Meet the Needs of Your Environment, author Raymond S. Louis provides a text than can help a company develop and implement a correct and successful kanban system by selecting appropriate kanban techniques based on its specific environmental factors and needs.

By implementing the techniques in Custom Kanban, the most probable consequences from a kanban design that is not suited to the environment can be avoided: High inventory coupled with shortages, a triggering mechanism that is augmented by hot lists, late customer orders and high operating costs from not eliminating the non-value-added activities associated with perpetuating the kanban system.

Kanban is a powerful technique. When designed and implemented correctly for the environment it is intended to serve, it becomes a highly competitive strategy. It operates so smoothly that a plant visitor will know it is effective but will be unaware of the kanban techniques that were selected to complement the specific environment.

This compelling book:

• Fully details each respective kanban technique and includes a description of the environment it is intended to serve.  The reader then selects the technique for consideration if the environment described matches his or her environment.
  
• Explains more than 20 design options and associated replenishment techniques so that the reader can custom fit the kanban system.
  
• Is the only text that deals with both the design and implementation of a kanban system - all in a single source.

Readers of this book -- anyone who has a kanban system in place, plans to implement a kanban system, teaches about kanban systems or plans to teach about kanban systems -- will gain immeasurably from its design options and implementation methods so they can create and apply their own, unique -- and successful -- kanban system. In the hands of a cross-functional team of skilled practitioners applying due diligence, Custom Kanban can be used to design and implement a world-class replenishment system.

About the Author
Raymond S. Louis has more than 30 years experience designing and implementing replenishment systems and lean manufacturing techniques. He is credited with creating one of the first fully automated kanban systems in the United States. He is the author of, Integrating Kanban with MRPII (Productivity Press, 1997).

About Productivity Press
Productivity Press is the premier source of authoritative information on organizational improvement, offering the broadest selection of books and learning tools about lean methodologies, based on the Toyota Production System. Whether you are responsible for production, office and administrative operations or providing services, our publications offer you proven, practical strategies for increasing efficiency and capacity while eliminating waste. We are the leading source of materials for educating and training your workforce in lean.

List price is $45.00. Complimentary review copies are available to media contacts by calling (212) 216-7865 or by e-mailing: leon.carter@taylorandfrancis.com.

For more information on Custom Kanban, or any of Productivity Press' other titles, call 1 (888) 319-5852 or access our online catalog at www.productivitypress.com.

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ADVANCE PRAISE FOR

Custom Kanban -- Designing the System to Meet the

Needs of Your Environment

By Raymond S. Louis

"Exceptionally comprehensive and detailed … The approach in this book is unique in that it does not force the practitioner to change their environment, but it provides detailed action plans for implementation in multiple environments."

Henry M. Lee
Manager, Operations
Gulf States Toyota

"Raymond Louis' book goes beyond just explaining the obvious benefits of kanban. It delves into the actual design of the kanban system, not treating it as a one size fits all tool."

Gregory J. Cousins
Lean Champion
Emerson Network Power

"This is the first kanban book I have read which clearly understands that there is a significant difference between environments. This book is highly innovative, insightful, and clearly written by an author who has years of implementation experience."

Terry O'Neill
Vice President, Operations
CMS Products

"Custom Kanban captures the opportunities and implementation challenges in the process of transforming to a Lean Supply Chain."
 

Mark H Kohler
Vice President, Manufacturing
Snap-on Tools