a markov chain analysis of the effectiveness of kanban card with dynamic information

A pull system produces products based on customer demands. each station is isolated until a customer order is placed; then a signal or kanban is sent from downstream station to upstream station and continues until the first station. most studies have investigated pull systems in deterministic environments while many real production lines are subjected to different types of uncertainties. thus, the aim of this paper is to apply a dynamic kanban system that changes the information on the kanban cards based on the remained inventory in the buffer. the proposed approach uses a markov chain analysis to compare the effectiveness of the kanban card with dynamic information to the kanban card with static information. in the present study, the production line of two work stations and two inventory buffers is modeled. throughput, shortage, work-in-process and cycle time are the model measurement parameters. the results show the advantages of the proposed approach.