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Supply Chain and Logistics Terms and Glossary
Kaizen: The Japanese term for improvement; continuing improvement involving everyone—managers and workers. In manufacturing, kaizen relates to finding and eliminating waste in machinery, labor, or production methods. Also see: Continuous Process Improvement
Kaizen Blitz: A rapid improvement of a limited process area, for example, a production cell. Part of the improvement team consists of workers in that area. The objectives are to use innovative thinking to eliminate non-value-added work and to immediately implement the changes within a week or less. Ownership of the improvement by the area work team and the development of the team’s problem-solving skills are additional benefits.
Kanban: Japanese word for "visible record", loosely translated means card, billboard or sign. Popularized by Toyota Corporation, it uses standard containers or lot sizes to deliver needed parts to assembly line "just in time" for use. Empty containers are then returned to the source as a signal to resupply the associated parts in the specified quantity.
KD: See Knock-Down
Keiretsu: A form of cooperative relationship among companies in Japan where the companies largely remain legally and economically independent, even though they work closely in various ways such as sole sourcing and financial backing. A member of a keiretsu generally owns a limited amount of stock in other member companies. A keiretsu generally forms around a bank and a trading company but “distribution” (supply chain) keiretsus exist linking companies from raw material suppliers to retailers.
Key Custodians: The persons, assigned by the security administrators of trading partners, that send or receive a component of either the master key or exchange key used to encrypt data encryption keys. This control technique involves dual control, with split knowledge that requires two key custodians
Key Performance Indicator (KPI): A measure which is of strategic importance to a company or department. For example, a supply chain flexibility metric is Supplier On-time Delivery Performance which indicates the percentage of orders that are fulfilled on or before the original requested date. Also see: Scorecard
Kitting: Light assembly of components or parts into defined units ahead of production issue or customer shipment. Kitting reduces the need to maintain an inventory of pre-built completed products, but increases the time and labor consumed at shipment. Also see: Postponement
Knock-down (KD): A flat, unformed cardboard box or tray. Knock-downs, also known as KDs, are constructed and glued in the recoup or packaging areas and used for repacked product. Many KDs are provided by the customer for their recouped products.
KPI: See Key Performance Indicator
Download the entire glossary in pdf format (1.2MB).
Definitions compiled by Supply Chain Visions, Bellevue, WA, www.scvisions.com. Updated May 2009.
Please note: The Center for Value Chain Research (CVCR) does not take responsibility for the content of these definitions, nor does the CVCR endorse these as official definitions except as noted.