USING THE KANBAN FOR CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTION AND SAFETY CONTROL

The paper explores non-traditional applications of the Kanban. “Kanban” is the Japanese word for “visual cards” and is a Lean tool developed in the automotive industry for JIT production. The Kanban acts as a work order without which work should not start, and has also been used as a material process flow technique for the pull replenishment logic system. The Kanban is usually used in the construction material procurement process by organizing orders, acting as a visual tool for the improvement of communication among all stakeholders, and insuring that the right amount of the right item is delivered at the right time. This paper seeks to promote the use of the Kanban as a work order for the construction production process, and as a construction process control tool. There are two types of Kanban described in this paper: the ordering Kanban, and the receipt Kanban. The Kanban is also useful as safety control tool because safety information is included on each Kanban. Due to the Kanban’s ability to increase communication, and to decrease the number of accidents, this paper highlights one of the most important findings of these case studies: the use of the Kanban in construction production and safety control.