Creating Level Pull (EN)

Your processes are running more smoothly. You’ve got the flow going. And yet, as soon as customer demand fluctuates, the pressure on your system spikes. Inventory levels rise, delivery times lengthen, and your sense of control vanishes in an instant.

The problem isn't the flow itself; it's what happens before and around that flow. As long as your production system reacts to the whims of the moment rather than to a leveled signal, improvement will remain fragile. *Creating Level Pull* shows you how to fundamentally change that.

What will you learn in Creating Level Pull?

This workbook is the third and most challenging volume in the series that began with *Learning to See* and continued with *Creating Continuous Flow*. While those workbooks teach you where pull is needed and how flow works, this book teaches you how to build a fully leveled pull system—step by step, using a detailed and realistic real-world case study.

Author Art Smalley, a former Toyota employee in Japan, guides you through the full complexity of pull in practice. You’ll learn the difference between the two types of leveling —by volume and by mix—and discover when to apply each. You’ll be introduced to the three types of pull: replenishment pull, sequential pull, and mixed pull, and learn how to make the right choice for your situation.

We will also cover the three types of inventory and how to determine the required levels, the role of 5S in a pull system, the four main types of kanban and when to use each one, and how to effectively implement pull systems for batch and flexible processes.

The title *Creating*, deliberately chosen over *Implementing*, says it all about the approach. Leveled pull is not a blueprint that you simply apply to an existing situation. This workbook teaches you to identify what needs to change in your specific situation so that a functioning pull system can then become a reality.

Why should I read *Creating Level Pull*?

Pull and leveling are at the heart of the Toyota Production System and are among the concepts most frequently applied superficially in Western Lean practice. Kanban boards are put up, but the underlying system is missing. Inventory levels are determined based on intuition rather than calculation. The result is a pull system that looks good on paper but still fluctuates with demand in practice.

This workbook does what no training program can fully achieve: it takes you through all the exceptions, edge cases, and complex scenarios you’ll encounter in the real world. Once up and running, a functioning, balanced pull system will feel like what Lean experts describe as true Lean magic. You’ll truly begin to understand the depth of Lean as a whole.

Who is *Creating Level Pull* written for?

·       Lean practitioners who not only want to understand pull and leveling, but also want to be able to actually implement them
·       Operations and production managers who are struggling with variation in customer demand and its impact on their system
·       Anyone who has read the workbooks *Seeing* and *Creating Continuous Flow* and wants to take the logical next step
·       Lean Black Belt students and graduates who want to deepen their understanding of systems

What do fellow writers think of this book?

"Understanding pull is one thing. Actually creating pull in a complex, real-world environment is something else entirely. Art Smalley demonstrates how this works like no one else." — Mike Rother, author of Seeing Is Learning and Toyota Kata

"This is the workbook that completes the Lean series. Without leveled pull, any improvement remains vulnerable. With this book in hand, you have no more excuses." — Jim Womack, founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute

Additional Information

About the author

Art Smalley is one of the few Western Lean experts who gained his knowledge directly at Toyota in Japan. He worked for Toyota Motor Corporation for many years, which put him in a unique position to learn the Toyota Production System from the inside out—not from books, but on the shop floor. After his time at Toyota, he became a sought-after consultant and author, known for his ability to make the most complex Lean concepts concrete and applicable. *Creating Level Pull* is considered one of his most influential contributions to Lean literature.