MATERIAL HANDLING · SUPERMARKETS, KANBAN & PLAN FOR EVERY PART

MATERIAL HANDLING · SUPERMARKETS, KANBAN & PLAN FOR EVERY PART — DECK + REFERENCE GUIDE + PFEP TOOL

Feeding a line by pull only works if the parts are there — right-sized and on time. This complete material-handling toolkit teaches your team to move parts and information together, so production pulls exactly what it needs: the right part, in the right place, at the right time, with the least inventory and effort. No background needed: it's built from scratch, in plain language, and comes with a

working tool that helps you calculate the sizing

Perfect for Lean and continuous-improvement practitioners, materials, logistics and supply-chain teams, production and industrial engineers, and anyone designing pull systems on the shop floor.

WHAT YOU GET

- Training slides (PPTX): a guided Module 7 deck that builds it up from scratch — supermarkets, Kanban & pull, delivery routes (milk-run and water spider), and Plan For Every Part.

- Reference guide (DOCX): a companion guide with the sizing formulas — coefficient of variance, cycle stock, safety stock and the Kanban count — plus the design  rules for routes and PFEP.

- PFEP & sizing tool (XLSX): a single source of truth for every part, paired with a supermarket & Kanban calculator that works out CV, cycle and safety stock, the total buffer and the number of Kanban’s automatically.

THE FOUR PILLARS OF PULL

1. Supermarkets — a right-size inventory buffer (cycle stock + safety stock),   placed where it's pulled, so downstream processes take what they need when they need it. Borrowed from the 1950s self-service grocery store.

2. Kanban & pull — the "visible record" that says what to make, when and how much, so a process only ever replaces what was withdrawn. Nothing is made or moved without a Kanban.

3. Delivery routes — the milk-run (time-fixed, quantity-variable) and the water spider move parts and information on a planned path and pace, freeing operators for value-added work.

4. Plan For Every Part — one source of truth for how every part is stored, moved and replenished: the DNA of material and information flow.

SIZE IT PROPERLY — THE MATHS, DONE FOR YOU

First check demand is stable: coefficient of variance (CV) = standard deviation ÷ average demand; aim for CV below 0.5. Then size the buffer and the signals:

- Cycle stock = average demand × replenishment lead time.

- Safety stock = Z × σ × √(lead time), set by your service level.

- Supermarket = cycle stock + safety stock.

- Number of Kanbans = supermarket ÷ container quantity.

For example, at 400/day with σ 28, a 3-day lead time, Z 1.65 and a container of 20, that's 1,200 + 80 = 1,280 units, or 64 Kanbans — and fewer Kanbans over time is a sign the process is improving.

WHY TEAMS LOVE IT

- Least inventory: right-size buffers absorb variation without overstocking.

- Pull, not schedule: replace only what's withdrawn and feed the line by demand.

- Size it with maths: CV, cycle and safety stock and the Kanban count, done for you.

- One source of truth: a PFEP holds the plan for every part in one place.

- Free your operators: milk-run and water spider keep them on value-added work.

- A working tool: an editable PFEP and sizing calculator, ready for your parts.

- No background needed: built from scratch; anyone can follow.

- Instant download: get all three files the moment you buy.

WHAT'S IN THE DOWNLOAD

- 1 x Training deck — .pptx (Module 7, fully editable)

- 1 x Reference guide — .docx (with the sizing formulas)

- 1 x PFEP & sizing tool — .xlsx (single source of truth + auto calculator)

Instant digital download. For personal and in-company training use.