Case Study: Kawasaki Motors cuts Kanban labor costs by $3,500/day with LANSA LongRange

Kawasaki’s Assembly Staff Goes Mobile

Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A. (KMM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, manufactures ATVs, personal watercraft, utility vehicles and related components and was struggling with a manual, card-based Kanban system across four assembly lines. The paper process used up to 4,500 cards per day, caused lost or prematurely returned cards, inventory hoarding and cluttered, unsafe lines, and cost an estimated $3,000–$3,500+ per day in labor handling and related inefficiencies. KMM needed mobile apps that integrated with its IBM i ERP and supported barcode scanners to enable real-time floor inventory control.

KMM’s in-house IBM i team used LANSA’s LongRange to build native iPad apps (developed by a three‑person team) that handle eKanban pick/scan, cycle counting, scrap reporting, warehouse moves, ECNs and online/offline reporting. The solution delivered immediate inventory accuracy, cleared floor clutter, improved quality control and freed capacity for additional production; KMM reports more than $3,500 saved per day, faster analysis and reduced labor, with an expected ROI in under six months and the first apps deployed within two months.

Kawasaki Motors

Jay Kamradt

Assistant Manager, Information Systems