Module 9 targets the two operational partners of the border function: addresses and ID labels—what they are, how they work, and their powerful impact on motion.

Too often, the real importance of addresses is overlooked or merely given lip service. When addresses are inaccurate, unreadable, incomplete or weak, they can trigger a ton of motion, some of it gross, much of it microscopic. It is not enough to hang up a “parts storage” sign and expect people to figure out the rest.

In this module, operators study dozens of addresses—some basic, others highly innovate; some very exact, others generic. The same with ID labels.

Teams learn the central lesson of this session: the absence of either an address or ID label (or both!) often results in accidents, mix-ups, defects, frustration, delays, long lead time—and a ton of struggle. As the module concludes, operators prepare to implement in their own work areas the addresses and ID labels they developed during this important session.