Making Materials Flow (EN)

You’ve designed a pull system. Flow cells are set up, kanban cards are hanging on the board, and the future state map looks promising. And yet, in practice, it’s not working. Materials arrive late or in batches that are too large. Routes are inefficient. No one knows exactly who needs to replenish what and when.

The design isn't the problem. The implementation is the problem. And that's exactly what this workbook is about.

What will you learn in Making Materials Flow?

Making Materials Flow focuses on the operational side of materials management: the part that other Lean workbooks largely overlook. Not how to design a pull system, but how to make it work in the day-to-day reality of production.

At the heart of the workbook is the Plan For Every Part (PFEP): a structured approach to managing all aspects of material control for each component. Using the PFEP, you’ll learn how to set up kanban systems that actually work in practice, based on six concrete design rules.

The book covers the two types of material supply routes (linked and unlinked) and explains how each choice affects capacity utilization and inventory levels. You will learn about the two forms of replenishment and how to determine which is most suitable for your situation. Using a comprehensive practical case study, richly illustrated with diagrams and concrete examples, you will see step by step how a working system is built.

This workbook directly builds on *Creating Continuous Flow* (flow within a work cell) and *Creating Level Pull* (connecting flow cells via pull), and provides the operational component that those workbooks intentionally leave open.

Why should I read *Making Materials Flow*?

Material management is often viewed as a technical detail that will fall into place once the broader Lean structures are in place. That assumption is incorrect, and this workbook demonstrates that convincingly.

A common misconception is that pull systems only work for predictable, simple assembly processes involving a limited number of parts. Toyota proves the opposite: pull systems also work in production environments with thousands of parts and a high degree of complexity, but only with a meticulously designed system of routes, replenishment times, inventory levels, and standards for internal logistics.

Making Materials Flow describes that system step by step. It can also be used on its own as a practical guide to internal logistics and materials management, independently of the other workbooks in the series.

Who is *Making Materials Flow* intended for?

• Production planners and logistics coordinators who want to implement a pull system
• Operations and production managers who are struggling with inefficient material flows
• Lean practitioners who want to move from design to implementation
• Industrial engineers responsible for designing internal logistics systems

What do fellow writers think of this book?

"This is the workbook that bridges the gap between the pull system on paper and the pull system in practice. That gap is exactly where most implementations fall short." — John Shook, former CEO of the Lean Enterprise Institute and co-author of Learning to See

"*Making Materials Flow* fills a persistent gap in the Lean workbook series. Anyone who takes pull seriously needs this book not only for design but also on the shop floor." — Jim Womack, founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute

Additional Information

About the authors

Rick Harris is an experienced Lean consultant and manufacturing professional, known for his previous collaboration with Mike Rother on *Creating Continuous Flow*. His expertise lies in translating Lean principles into concrete, functioning systems on the shop floor, with a particular focus on the details that make the difference between a good design and a well-functioning system.

Chris Harris collaborates with Rick Harris on the practical application of Lean in manufacturing environments. His background in operations and materials management forms the basis for the detailed case studies and concrete recommendations that characterize this workbook.

Earl Wilson is a Lean specialist with years of experience in internal logistics and material flows in complex manufacturing environments. His contribution to this book reflects in-depth practical knowledge of what it takes to make pull systems truly operational.