In manufacturing and logistics, the Japanese word Kanban has been adopted to mean a tool (a card that contains very specific information for reordering and replenishing materials or transferring finished goods between internal departments). Such a system reduces overall inventory and batch size by pulling only what is necessary from a "supermarket" (a small supply of parts) placed between the POU (point of use) and the next upstream process. This system originated in the Just-In-Time production system devises by Toyota, sometimes call the Toyota Production System, or Lean Manufacturing, and has been implemented to varying degrees in most manufacturing companies.