Supply chain management and production management has been a pivotal area of business ever since businesses were first created. This is the area in which cost savings can be the most easily obtained, yet there are often inefficiencies in the system that make this difficult for supply chain managers. Inventory levels are often hard to maintain or keep low, and sometimes there is way too much production going on for the demand in the current marketplace. Luckily, there are many new programs that feature an online Kanban board to help keep production and inventory in check.

Kanban is a system that is essential for lean manufacturing. It was first used by auto makers and Japan and has been a centerpiece of supply chain management in companies in just about every country ever since. Kanban is the process of creating several checks and balances for inventory, such as setting maximum and minimum levels ahead of time that will act as triggering events. When the maximum amount is reached, production will cease until another trigger is hit. When the minimum trigger point is hit, production is started again. This ensures that inventory levels are in the "sweet spot" to both protect against stock outs but also to prevent inventory costs from skyrocketing description. On the board, it will show current production levels, where you are in the production process, and how well inventory levels are doing.

An online board like this is useful, particularly because it is located online. This means that managers and employees can look at this board no matter where they are in the plant. When it comes to project management teams, some of which may operate in the field away from the central office, accessibility is key. This makes the online platform essential to the success of the program.

As well as being online, these boards can be linked directly to a company's existing management systems, such as the enterprise resource ERM and ERP systems. This creates a continuous flow of data that will create a real-time inventory and production report, making it much more useful than reports that are created a week after inventory has already reached its high point, for example.

In addition, these programs are completely customizable for the user. This means that you are able to go through the separate pages of the program and the Kanban board and change headings, titles, and production stages to the names used by your company. It also means that you will be able to go through and change the graphics that are used by the program to further increase understandability and program literacy throughout the corporation. Even color schemes and fonts can be changed.

With the combination of the online platform, linking abilities, and increased understandability through the use of extreme customization, the online Kanban board system can be extremely useful for any size company.