Lean Value Stream Mapping Buffer/Safety Stock Icon

The VSM Buffer/Safety Stock icons are used for inventory to cover variations that might exist in the downstream, or customer demand and safety stock inventory to cover the supply induced variation.

Use this icon in your VSM when there is a need to protect against uncertainty which may arise from internal operations like production lead time, unknown customer demand and unreliable supplier lead times.

The terms buffer and safety stock often are used interchangeably, which creates confusion. There is an important difference between the two, which can be summarized as: Buffer stock protects your customer from you (the producer) in the event of an abrupt demand change; safety stock protects you from incapability in your upstream processes and your suppliers.

Place the buffer stock at the downstream end of a facility or process, to protect the customer from starvation in the event of an abrupt increase in short-term demand that exceeds short-term production capacity. In upstream, safety stock should be placed in the form of raw materials. It protects from unreliable supplies and longer lead times. In midstream, the VSM Buffer/Safety stock icon can be placed in the form of subassemblies. It couples supply chain during machine down time. Since downstream is driven by customer orders, so there is no need to allocate the safety stock.

The VSM Buffer/Safety Stock icon is part of a range of magnetic accessories to help you to create a working visual of your VSM initiative. You can purchase a complete kit.

Each VSM Buffer/Safety Stock icon is 2″ x 2″.

The Value Stream Mapping magnetic icon is printed on flexible thick vehicle grade quality 0.5 mm magnetic sheets with a high quality PVC finish.