The pull evolution: from Kanban to customised token-based systems

Abstract

This work formalises a new approach for material flow control, i.e. the so-called customised token-based systems (CTBS). This approach represents a natural evolution from classical pull systems, such as Kanban. The article first describes the flow of materials (orders or tasks) from a management point of view, and discusses exact and approximate approaches to tackle the problem. The origin of Customised Production Control systems is explained, as well as the main advantages: high degree of generalisation, enhancement of the space of solutions and adaptation to the manufacturing environment. Next, we propose a method based on cross-entropy for the optimisation of CTBS. The computational experience carried out in a number of scenarios shows the CTBS to be profitable. Furthermore, the resulting control mechanisms seem to be relatively easy to implement in real-manufacturing environments.

Keywords:

• production control systems
• customised token-based systems
• Conwip
• Kanban
• cross-entropy method

Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely wish to thank the anonymous referees for their helpful suggestions. This work has been supported by CICYT project DPI2007-061345.