Discuss with group the comparison of push and pull:
Push:
Make all you can just in case you run out of material. Just in case the machine goes down, just in case you run into a quality problem.
Pull:
Make only what the customer needs when they need it.
Push:
Approximate production based on what the customer anticipates they will need.
Pull:
More precise production based on what the customer has actually consumed. Customer and supplier agree upon a buffer size they would like to keep between them. As the customer pulls apart from the buffer, the supplier is authorized to put that quantity o
Push:
Large lots lead to high inventories which hide problems and cause quality problems to increase because bad parts are found later and there are more of them.
Pull:
Smaller lots lower inventory level and drive problem resolution. Quality problems are contained with less parts to sort.
Push:
Waste time and resources running parts that are not necessary. May be more effective for the long term to shut down the machine and do planned maintenance or send an operator to training, solve quality problems.
Pull:
Reduces waste and provides time to do things we typically do not make time to do..preventative maintenance, housekeeping, training, problem solving, team meetings.
Push:
Always in firefighting mode trying to determine what is hot, how much inventory is there.
Pull:
System is controlled by visual management. Communication improved by gradual feedback the supplier receives from the customer in the form of a pull signal rather than finding out as the customer runs or is running out of parts, leaving little or no time
