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FIFO Lane: What Is It?

FIFO Lane stands for “First In, First Out”.  It is the method of ensuring that the first part to enter a process or storage location is also the first to be used or taken.

A good example of this is the bread isle in your local supermarket, where bread is loaded at the top of the lane, and typically taken from the bottom.  This ensures that the oldest bread is taken first.

A FIFO Lane works extremely well with other Lean Principles.  If the lane is full, no more product needs to be made (avoiding over production).  An Andon can be used as a visual trigger for full or empty lanes.  As an item is taken, it can trigger production once again, and this is often done with a Kanban.  As product is only made as it is pulled by the customer, it becomes an excellent example of a Pull System.

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