Kanban Monitor brings transparency: Cover Story in the 4/2022 Issue of the German Trade Magazine 'Beschaffung aktuell'

Markus Dröge: “We can do away with a whole lot of tasks. I do not have to bother the purchasing department and trigger an order there, for example to reorder hydraulic fittings. And I don’t have to chase up materials and can rely on the workstations always having exactly the material quantities they actually need.” A crucial aspect for him is the reliability – and the fact that they can also individually react to peak demand, fluctuating order levels or irregularities in other areas of the supply chain. Manuel Träger, Customer Success Specialist at Stauff, is responsible for looking after the kanban customers and the interface to the colleagues at Stauff Digital and the IT department. A new tool was developed together with the customer – the new Kanban Monitor. It is an important step from a user perspective: “Our customers can now view the status of individual containers during the delivery process online at any time, including the availability for today it is e-kanban, because the entire process is electronic – controlled with scanners, barcodes and kanban software. The advantages of this principle are also evident in the assembly of construction machinery at Atlas. SUPPLY » C-Parts-Management Markus Dröge is responsible for the logistics line manage- ment at Atlas, an in- ternationally renowned manufacturer of mobile construction machinery. Image: Atlas Frequent reservations regarding the kanban system Although the advantages of the kan- ban system are obvious and many companies have been using it for de- cades, many users still have reservati- ons. Stauff, however, can counter the most common objections with facts that support the introduction of kan- ban. As a kanban customer, I will be de- pendent on one supplier. Stauff: Of course it is an advantage to use the entire supply chain from a single source. Our customers are free, however, to use other suppliers at any time. I will be dependent on the technical equipment that is provided to me. Stauff: No. If, for example, a scanner is defective, the user can simply use the Kanban Monitor to reorder – in 24/7 mode and, thanks to the optimi- zed website, even with a mobile devi- ce. My value chain will become more complicated if also use the kanban system with manufacturers of other product groups. Stauff: Once again: No. Our kanban system can also be integrated into existing shelf systems of other sup- pliers. Only Stauff containers can be reordered with a Stauff scanner. The containers are also marked with our logo, which ensures clear allocation. Kanban is only worth it if I buy lar- ge quantities. Stauff: Regular turnover of the con- tainers is required for kanban. Never- theless, individual customer solutions can also be developed for smaller tur- nover volumes and frequencies. CUSTOMER KANBAN Data transmissionwithdirect demand triggeringusinga scanner, RFID technologyorKanbanMonitor Theorder is createdatSTAUFF andgeneratesa re-order ina fullyautomatedprocess. Fillingand labellingof kanban containers and subsequentdelivery to the customer Deliveryandexchangeof containers at thedefined locationby the service provider/customerand returnofempty containers toSTAUFF