Internal Logistics

As orga­ni­za­tions take steps toward achiev­ing con­tin­u­ous flow, it’s com­mon for one or more sup­port­ing sys­tems to strug­gle. A typ­i­cal prob­lem is that mate­r­i­al han­dling and sup­ply process­es can’t keep up with the faster pace of one-piece flow. In oth­er words, we need to build a sys­tem of inter­nal logis­tics that enables con­tin­u­ous flow. Learn the steps for build­ing an inter­nal logis­tics sys­tem from cre­at­ing a Plan for Every Part (PFEP), prepar­ing a parts super­mar­ket, devel­op­ing deliv­ery routes, design­ing racks, con­tain­ers, and con­veyance sys­tems, and doc­u­ment­ing stan­dard work for logistics.

The super­mar­ket is a parts stor­age area that serves as a key build­ing block of aflow-focused inter­nal logis­tics sys­tem. Learn the main dif­fer­ences between super­mar­kets and tra­di­tion­al stor­age, the advan­tages, and the steps for devel­op­ing, sus­tain­ing, and improv­ing­su­per­mar­ket operations.

As orga­ni­za­tions take steps toward achiev­ing con­tin­u­ous flow, it’s com­mon for one or more sup­port­ing sys­tems to strug­gle. A typ­i­cal prob­lem is that mate­r­i­al han­dling and sup­ply process­es can’t keep up with the faster pace of one-piece flow. In oth­er words, we need to build a sys­tem of inter­nal logis­tics that enables con­tin­u­ous flow. Learn the steps for build­ing an inter­nal logis­tics sys­tem from cre­at­ing a Plan for Every Part (PFEP), prepar­ing a parts super­mar­ket, devel­op­ing deliv­ery routes, design­ing racks, con­tain­ers, and con­veyance sys­tems, and doc­u­ment­ing stan­dard work for logistics.

The water spi­der plays a crit­i­cal role in help­ing an orga­ni­za­tion achieve smooth flow. They move mate­ri­als through an oper­a­tion, step in to relieve team mem­bers, and pre­vent non-rou­tine tasks from inter­rupt­ing the work­flow. Learn how the role of a water spi­der dif­fers from that of an inter­nal logis­tics deliv­ery dri­ver, the three types of water spi­der tasks, how to set their work inter­val, and how to cre­ate stan­dard work for a water spi­der role.