Digital Kanban & Material Flow Transformation

During my internship at Oxus America, I led the design and implementation of a facility-wide pull-based material replenishment system supporting compressor remanufacturing operations. The project focused on improving material flow, increasing inventory visibility, reducing non-value-added labor, and creating a scalable system that could support future growth.

Overview

The existing material replenishment process lacked visibility, standardization, and traceability. Operators spent significant time searching for inventory, transporting materials between production areas, and managing inventory with limited real-time information.

These inefficiencies created unnecessary labor, increased process variation, and limited the ability to maintain consistent material flow throughout disassembly, washing, and assembly operations.

The Challenge

I was responsible for analyzing existing material flow, identifying process inefficiencies, and designing a complete pull-based replenishment system.

My responsibilities included:

  • Material flow analysis

  • Supermarket inventory design

  • Digital Kanban development

  • Standardized work creation

  • Visual management implementation

  • Inventory traceability improvements

  • Cross-functional collaboration with operators, engineers, and leadership teams

My Role

To improve material flow and inventory control, I applied Lean Manufacturing principles including:

  • Pull systems

  • Kanban replenishment

  • FIFO inventory management

  • Visual management

  • Standardized work

I developed separate dirty and clean supermarket inventory locations to improve inventory organization and support continuous flow through the remanufacturing process.

To improve replenishment accuracy and visibility, I also designed and deployed a QR-code-based digital Kanban system that enabled real-time inventory tracking and replenishment requests.

Engineering Approach

The project delivered measurable operational improvements:

  • Eliminated 2.4 hours of material handling per shift

  • Reduced operator travel to zero

  • Reduced washing labor requirements by 80%

  • Generated over $90,000 in annual labor savings

  • Established a standardized model capable of generating an estimated $1M+ annual savings opportunity through broader deployment

  • Improved inventory visibility, replenishment accuracy, and material traceability throughout production operations

Results