Lean and CI poster
Updated · Free to print and share
Kanban rules poster
Kanban is a pull signal: a card or container that tells the previous process what to make or move, and how many. A kanban system works only if everyone follows the same rules. This poster sets out the six rules Taiichi Ohno described in Toyota Production System, in plain words, for supermarkets, cells and material handling routes.
Download the poster
The PNG is free to download now. The print-ready vector PDFs open after a short form, once.
Free to print and share with your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
The words on the poster
The 6 rules of kanban
Make and move only what the next process pulls.
- Take only what you need The next process withdraws the quantity on the kanban.
- Make only what was taken In the quantity and order the kanbans show.
- No kanban, no work Nothing is made or moved without one.
- The kanban stays with the parts Always attached to the goods.
- Never pass on a defect Bad parts never go to the next process.
- Fewer kanbans over time Less stock, and problems show sooner.
Rules from Taiichi Ohno, Toyota Production System (1988), in plain words.
On the floor
How to use it
- 1
Put it at the supermarket, the kanban post and the start of the water spider route.
- 2
Use rule 3 when someone asks to make parts without a card: the answer is on the wall.
- 3
Review rule 6 in kaizen: can we take a card out and see what problem appears?
- 4
Pair it with the free kanban card template and kanban sizing calculator.
Which size to print
- 24 x 36 in or A2: a main wall or team board, read from a few metres away.
- 18 x 24 in or A3: a station or notice board. The A3 file also fits 11 x 17 in paper.
- Letter or A4: a clipboard, binder or handout, on any office printer.
Every PDF is vector, so it stays sharp at full size. Nothing runs to the edge of the page, so no bleed is needed.
Sources and notes
- The six rules of kanban, from Taiichi Ohno, Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production (English edition, Productivity Press, 1988), in plain words.
Templates, decks and guides to go with it
- Kanban card templateSix production and six withdrawal kanban cards to print and cut out, with loop sizing and a card register.
- Kanban sizing calculatorHow many kanban cards each loop needs, per part, with the change from today's cards and what the loop holds in days.
- Water spider route plan (mizusumashi)A water spider's fixed route: stops with arrival times, what is delivered and collected, route time against the cycle, cart load and a trip log.
- Heijunka box planner (production leveling)Weekly demand turned into containers a day, takt, pitch and slots, a leveled sequence of products and the heijunka box, with a check that the changeovers fit.
- Topic: Value stream mapping and flowEvery guide we have on the subject, sorted.
A poster reminds. A routine makes it stick.
See how plants run their audits, improvements and follow-ups in LeanSuite, on a call built around your own problem.
Schedule Demo