This kaizen song is dedicated to all of you materials managers and planners out there working to establish pull systems...

Downstream Pull

(to the melody of "Downtown Train" by Tom Waits)

Line side another yellow andon
No engineers on the night time shift
I look through the parts list and expedite sheets
I'm thinking this means over time
The VMI bins are full
Parts from other side of the world
We tried so hard to break our shipping record

Our catch up plans and scatter charts show
We have nothing that'll help catch up because
They're just actions without root cause
The trouble is we're pushing parts
Oh if I had the power, I would produce one by one
But sadly they can't hear me now, they can't hear me now

When you signal demand with a downstream pull
Every part, every part comes just in time
With a downstream pull

I know your orders and I know they're late
I know your parts and your deliveries
We talk the hot sheet and past due dates
I stand by the line "it will ship today"
And watch our plans be off, oh mercy
Salesmen calling their accounts back
If on-time continues to fall
Then we'll never win them back

When you signal demand with a downstream pull
Every part, every part comes just in time
With a downstream pull
True need filled, only
When you signal demand with a downstream pull
Every part, every part comes just in time
With a downstream pull

When you signal demand with a downstream pull
Every part, every part comes just in time

When you signal demand with a downstream pull
Every part, every part comes just in time
With a downstream pull
With a downstream pull
Every part comes just in time
With a downstream pull