TRANSFER FROM TRADITIONAL KANBAN TO KANBAN 4.0 IN SMART FACTORY

Abstract

Type Quality 4.0 aligns with the new trend in Industry 4.0, successfully moving through quality management to the digital environment. Companies that invest in Quality 4.0 will achieve significant improvements in the value chain through operational efficiency and services, thus maintaining customer satisfaction but at the same time and implementing a culture of company quality. Quality 4.0 refers not only to technology, but also to people who use technology in technological processes. Applying the traditional methods Kanban, Gemba and the 7 W’s ‘’without’’ some weak links of the technological processes were found. We can consider that this is how the first steps of the transfer and the awareness of the transfer to the Kanban 4.0 method were performed. The article presents the solutions taken by a factory to improve quality management. By applying a questionnaire to the three work teams of a technological process, it was possible to identify weaknesses in different stages of the process. The questionnaire was structured so that the following indicators were taken into account: visibility of the working method, stock of raw materials, workflow, continuous improvement through the feedback mechanism, teamwork, measures applied, quality and well-defined processes in the verification and maintaining the quality of production processes. By applying the questionnaire it was possible to identify the principles of the Kanban method: visibility, accessibility and standardization applying the Kanban method. The article presents the solutions taken by the factory to improve quality management and harmonize the technological process with the new concept of intelligent manufacturing. Quality 4.0 offers also a variety of tools and techniques that can be implemented to automate compliance activities to the digital factory.