How is Kanban Used in Production Control?

The more I learn about Kanban the more it seems that it can do. People talk about how Kanban can be used to help with workflow, just in time manufacturing, improved efficiency, and much more. Recently I saw someone who wrote about using Kanban as a key part of their production control planning, and this seemed interesting. While I can certainly see how it could be used alongside an overall production control system, I’m not sure how Kanban would be a key element. Have any of you used Kanban in this way? If so, how effective was it? How did you implement this type of system?