A rule induction approach for determining the number of kanbans in a just-in-time production system

A procedure based on rule induction is presented which can be used to determine the number of kanbans while simultaneously determining the critical factors in a just-in-time (JIT) production system. In particular, the classification and regression tree (CART) technique developed by Brieman et al. [Breiman, L., Friedman, J., Olshen, R. and Stone, C. J., Classification and Regression Trees. Wadsworth, Belmont, CA, 1984.] is used to automatically generate rules from;dynamic shop floor data. An example application of the methodology is presented and the advantages of a rule induction approach are explained. The paper concludes with a discussion of future research directions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.