FIFO lane

A FIFO lane is a painted lane or physical channel that holds a certain amount of inventory and maintains first-in, first-out sequence. The supplying process fills the lane from the upstream end while the customer process withdraws from the downstream end. If the lane fills, the supplying process must stop producing until the customer consumes some inventory.

Source checked1/1 values · 2026-10-25Methodology

Specification

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Kind	methodology

Study notes

FIFO is a necessary condition for pull system implementation.
A FIFO lane prevents the supplying process from overproducing even when it is not linked to the consuming process by continuous flow or a supermarket.
A FIFO lane can regulate a pull system between two decoupled processes when storing all part variations in a supermarket is impractical because parts are one-of-a-kind, have short shelf lives, or are expensive but required infrequently.
Removal of the one part in a FIFO lane by the consuming process automatically triggers production of one additional part by the supplying process.
In an assembly cell, a material handler loads the flow rack from the rear so the operator uses parts in the sequence they were replenished.
The flow rack is sloped toward the operator, so parts slide toward the operator as empty containers are placed on the bottom rack to signal replenishment.