IPA IP 2023 Question 26
A question IPA Japan published in 令和5年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問26, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Company A, an assembly manufacturer that also sells its products, has decided to introduce the kanban system as a strategy for improving management efficiency, in order to reduce its parts inventory to the absolute minimum. Which of the following is the most appropriate information system that Company A links online with its inventory management system to realize this strategy?
Here, Company A also manages its parts inventory with the inventory management system. In addition, it is assumed that currently no other system is linked with the inventory management system.
Explanation
Parts purchasing system — to keep parts stock at a minimum with kanban, the consumption of parts recorded in the inventory system must trigger the replenishment orders at once.
In the kanban system a later process pulls only the parts it has used from the earlier process or the supplier, and a kanban card travels back as the order for exactly that quantity. Linking the inventory management system online with the parts purchasing system turns each use of parts into an order (an electronic kanban) for the same amount, so parts arrive just in time and no buffer stock builds up.
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) Accounting system — records the value of stock and purchases after the fact; it does not order parts
- •(c) Customer management system — holds customer data for sales and support, unrelated to replenishing parts
- •(d) Sales management system — handles orders from customers and products sold, the demand side, not the procurement of parts
Key rule: Kanban is a pull system: the use of parts triggers their replenishment, so cutting parts inventory means linking inventory to purchasing.
Business Industry · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.