1. andon Japanese term for a signaling system announcing problems encountered and assistance requested, often implemented as sets of lights over workstations. Click here for Hint kanban or andon or kaizen?

2. dual card kanban A kanban control arrangement consisting of two kanban loops. The first kanban loop signals and limits production of an item, while the second loop signals and limits withdrawals for consumption of the item. Click here for Hint kanban or dual card kanban or andon?

3. economies of scale Decreasing average unit cost by increasing volume. Click here for Hint economies of scale or muda or poka yoke?

4. electronic data interchange (EDI) The linking of two information systems from two different organizations to transfer data and conduct transactions. Click here for Hint VMI or JIT or EDI?

5. inventory Tangible items awaiting sale or use. Click here for Hint WIP or stockpiling or inventory?

6. JIT II A phrase first popularized by the Bose Company, emphasizing vendor- managed inventory and colocation of those vendors within a production facility. Click here for Hint JIT or JIT II or sole sourcing?

7. just-in-time (JIT) An earlier and alternate term for lean operation, in which a system implicitly operates with minimum of inventory and waste. Click here for Hint JIT or JIT II or lean?

8. kaizen Japanese term for continuous improvement. Click here for Hint kaizen or muda or kanban?

9. kanban In operations, a Japanese term for a signal, often a card. Kanban systems use these signals to regulate production. Click here for Hint kaizen or muda or kanban?

10. kanban loop The continuous path of travel of a set of kanbans, governing the production or consumption of some inventory item. Click here for Hint kaizen or kanban loop or kanban?

11. lead time Any delay between requesting a product and receiving it. Click here for Hint Little’s law or run time or lead time?

12. lean Operating without waste. Click here for Hint lean or andon or pull system?

13. level production strategy Aggregate planning approach that relies on fixed capacity despite changing demand. Click here for Hint MRP or level production strategy or push system?

14. Little’s law The average number of some item in a system equals its average arrival rate multiplied by the average time each unit spends in the system. Click here for Hint reorder point or lead time or Little’s law?

15. material requirements planning (MRP) A technique for scheduling the production of multiple items related by both independent and dependent demand. Click here for Hint MRP or level production strategy or EDI?

16. mixed-model assembly Production of a range of products with a single assembly line, primarily by varying features on an otherwise standardized product. Click here for Hint MRP or mixed-model assembly or kaizen?

17. muda Japanese term for waste, particularly anything a customer is not willing to pay for. Click here for Hint kaizen or muda or kanban?

18. partnering Long-term strategic alliances that benefit both parties. Click here for Hint partnering or EDI or RFID?

19. planned order releases A schedule of the ordering of a particular item to meet its requirements over a specific time interval. Click here for Hint planned order releases or MRP or muda?

20. poka yoke Japanese term for process improvements striving to make the desired outcome of a process inevitable, largely by preventing mistakes. Click here for Hint kaizen or muda or poka yoke?

21. pull system A production system that reacts to signals of demand, relying on internal coordination instead of the implementation of explicit plans to achieve outcomes. Click here for Hint push system or pull system or mixed-model assembly?

22. push system A production system that calculates and anticipates demand, relying on the implementation of explicit plans instead of internal coordination to achieve outcomes. Click here for Hint push system or pull system or mixed-model assembly?

23. quality circle A group of employees that meets regularly to discuss and develop opportunities for continuous improvement of their operation. Click here for Hint Little’s law or andon or quality circle?

24. radio frequency identification (RFID) The tagging of objects with devices that may be detected and interrogated for information by remote electronic readers, allowing identification and tracking without contact. Click here for Hint VMI or RFID or EDI?

25. reorder point An inventory level that triggers replenishment of an item. Click here for Hint vendor managed inventory or andon or reorder point?

26. run size A batch size, or order size, associated with the production of an item. Click here for Hint run size or run time or MRP?

27. run time The time required to produce a batch of some item. Click here for Hint run size or run time or MRP?

28. safety stock Inventory held to protect against uncertain supply or demand for the item. Click here for Hint lean or safety stock or pull system?

29. single card kanban A kanban control arrangement consisting of a single kanban loop, controlling production and limiting inventory levels of some item. Click here for Hint kanban or single card kanban or dual card kanban?

30. situational awareness An individual or organization’s comprehension of the surrounding environment and its potential near-future states. Click here for Hint situational awareness or andon or quality circle?

31. sole sourcing Relying on a single supplier. Click here for Hint partnering or sole sourcing or lean?

32. stockpiling Producing or securing goods in advance of demand, building up substantial inventory. Click here for Hint JIT or reorder point or stockpiling?

33. value-added The difference between the total value of the outputs and the total value of the inputs associated with an operation. Click here for Hint value-added or run time or Little’s law?

34. vendor-managed inventory (VMI) Transferal of ownership and management of inventory within a system to its external provider, who will be compensated after its use by the system. Click here for Hint JIT or VMI or partnering?

35. work in process (WIP) Inventory resulting from transformation of raw materials, but not yet ready for sale to consumers. Click here for Hint safety stock or run size or WIP?