Electronic Kanban

Electronic Kanban (sometimes referred to as eKanban) is a signaling system that uses a mix of technology to trigger the movement of materials within a manufacturing facility or across a supply chain. Electronic Kanban differs from traditional Kanban in that it uses technology to replace traditional elements such as physical Kanban cards with barcodes and electronic messages.



The Ultriva electronic Kanban solution provides supply chain professionals with a platform to manage all aspects of their material requirements, resulting in less stock-outs and lower inventory levels. Ultriva’s Collaborative Supply Portal solution providing manufacturers with a method of managing all material replenishment processes including electronic Kanban, Vendor Managed Inventory and MRP planned orders.

The Ultriva electronic Kanban system uses the internet as a method of routing messages to external suppliers and as a means to provide a real time view of inventory, via a portal, throughout the supply chain. Material is labeled with unique Kanban ID barcodes which are scanned at various stages of the replenishment, manufacturing and distribution processes to signal consumption, messages are then relayed to internal and external links in the supply chain stores to ensure demand driven replenishment.