ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some concepts that tie to takt time, flow production, and pull systems. In "build to order systems," the products are not made until an order is received. Most companies use some type of enterprise resource planning system. It is important to follow production leveling, or in Japanese, "heijunka", which translated means "a plain, flat level", a "standard level", and "change". Level loading is a technique for reducing the mura waste, and is vital to the development of production efficiency in Toyota Production System and Lean manufacturing. A key concept for level loading is production smoothing, which involves taking the production schedule and averaging it into daily or even hourly demand. In manufacturing production sequencing is utilized to level out production of various or "mixed" models. This concept allows Toyota to run multiple car types down the same line one model after another. Pitch is the time required to supply a standard pattern of parts to a line.
