Production Carton Kanban

In August, 2007, our facility ran dangerously low on cartons used in order production. In fact, some sizes did run to zero and the production team needed to substitute different sizes to complete their work. That extra effort resulted in waste and lost productivity!

To insure such a problem never happens again, we installed a production carton kanban system to maintain our production carton stock on hand. Using visual controls in the form of an MDI

board prominently displayed in the office, we have raised awareness regarding the status of our production cartons for all associates. The board displays average usage per day, average days on hand, the reorder point, the last five days on hand counts, and any cartons on order from our supplier. Each size is counted daily, which doesn't take long because the pallets are standard. The count quantity is entered onto the board daily. If an on hand quantity is below the reorder point, it is circled and an order is placed with the carton supplier. If something goes wrong, such as a count being missed or we forget to place a new order when running low, it is obvious to anyone looking at the MDI board and can quickly and easily be corrected.

Setting the reorder point properly, allowing for production time and safety stock needs, coupled with daily counts, insures we will never again run short on our mission critical production cartons!

Mail/Copy Room Paragon Creation

Phoenix has added a second LEAN paragon site within the location. The mail/copy room in the office has received the full 5S treatment! This work was actually performed early in 2007, and has been sustained without fail throughout the year! It is an excellent example of 5S, including the most difficult fifth S, sustain!

The team removed items not used and organized everything remaining. Labels were applied to removable items, so they could easily be identified and returned if discovered in another part of the building. Labels were also applied to all of the mail slots for easy distribution of incoming mail and printed reports. A poster was installed reminding our associates of the Corporate Core Values, Mission Statement, and Brand Essence.


The storage cabinets in the room were cleaned, shelf labels applied, and bins installed for smaller items. The biggest challenge has been to sustain the storage cabinets, which tend to be a magnet for unwanted items people no longer need but are hesitant to discard. The office staff has done a wonderful job of sustaining this 5S project, as the storage cabinets, as well as the room itself, has remained clean and organized!