Logistics Wordbook

Drum-Buffer-Rope

Logistics Glossary

In the theory of constraints, the generalized process used to manage resources to maximize throughput. The drum is the rate or pace of production set by the system’s constraint. The buffers establish the protection against uncertainty so that the system can maximize throughput. The rope is a communication process from the constraint to the gating operation that checks or limits material released into the system to support the constraint.

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