ABSTRACT
In a normal workplace, the more the flow of things varies, the greater the incidence of creating waste. The capacity of the workplace is often adjusted to the peak work demand and not to its average value. At Toyota, there was a time in which this was the normal occurrence. However, when capacities are adjusted thus to the peak demand, under-utilization occurs when a smaller amount of work is available. The peaks and valleys of work can be found in almost any workplace, and many companies insist on having personnel and machines to be able to cope with the peak demand. The most efficient condition exists when the amount of work is equalized, or when the work itself is performed at an even pace. The kanban system can succeed in a place where the final process is under the load-smoothing system of production. If there is no load-smoothing system of production, the kanban system will fail.
