Level a product mix across slots and see the board.
Use it when a mixed-model line builds in big batches and the downstream processes see feast and famine. Enter each part number with its kanban quantity and the number of slots, and it spreads every part evenly across the day so no slot carries more than one extra card.
Paste two columns straight from Excel, or type them. Up to 500 items.
Method: every kanban card gets a time key (k − 0.5) ÷ quantity. Cards are put in key order and cut into equal slots, so each item stays evenly spread and slot totals differ by at most 1 kanban.
Heijunka (production levelling) spreads the volume and the mix of products evenly across a shift or a week, so downstream processes and suppliers see a steady pull instead of large batches.
A cell builds part A (120/day), B (60/day) and C (30/day), all in packs of 15. That is 8 + 4 + 2 = 14 kanbans. Instead of running all A, then B, then C, the levelled sequence repeats a pattern close to A-B-A-A-C-A-B-A, so every hour of the shift sees a little of each product.
A schedule says what to make; heijunka also says in what even order and in what quantity per time slot, so the load on people, machines and suppliers stays flat.
Pitch is the time to produce one kanban quantity: takt time multiplied by the pack quantity. It sets the width of each slot in the heijunka box.
Yes. Level by product family or by work content rather than by individual part number, and keep a few slots open for low-runner orders.