Just in Time manufacturing is a production model that creates items to meet demand, rather than in advance or in surplus.
This lean manufacturing strategy involves keeping materials off-site and delivering them to the manufacturer when needed.
JIT manufacturing is also known as lean production.
JIT is a Japanese management philosophy which has been applied in practice since the early 1970s in many Japanese manufacturing organisations. It was first developed and perfected within the Toyota manufacturing plants by Taiichi Ohno as a means of meeting consumer demands with minimum delays . Taiichi Ohno is frequently referred to as the father of JIT.
Toyota was able to meet the increasing challenges for survival through an approach that focused on people, plants and systems. Toyota realised that JIT would only be successful if every individual within the organisation was involved and committed to it, if the plant and processes were arranged for maximum output and efficiency, and if quality and production programs were scheduled to meet demands exactly.
JIT manufacturing has the capacity, when properly adapted to the organisation, to strengthen the organisation’s competitiveness in the marketplace substantially by reducing wastes and improving product quality and efficiency of production.
There are strong cultural aspects associated with the emergence of JIT in Japan. The Japanese work ethic involves the following concepts.
Workers are highly motivated to seek constant improvement upon that which already exists. Although high standards are currently being met, there exist even higher standards to achieve.
Companies focus on group effort which involves the combining of talents and sharing knowledge, problem-solving skills, ideas and the achievement of a common goal.
Work itself takes precedence over leisure. It is not unusual for a Japanese employee to work 14-hour days.
Employees tend to remain with one company throughout the course of their career span. This allows the opportunity for them to hone their skills and abilities at a constant rate while offering numerous benefits to the company.
These benefits manifest themselves in employee loyalty, low turnover costs and fulfilment of company goals.
Just-in-time manufacturing (JIT manufacturing) is a production model in which items are created to meet demand, not created in surplus or in advance of need.
Just in Time manufacturing (JIT) is a production strategy that produces goods based on customer orders. This strategy is used to minimize inventory and increase efficiency within a company’s supply chain. JIT closely coordinates the flow of materials, information, and equipment, so that customer orders are produced and delivered within specific time windows.
Just in Time manufacturing borrows heavily from the “lean manufacturing” philosophy. Lean manufacturing focuses on reducing waste and maximizing efficiency in all production areas. By implementing JIT manufacturing and lean principles, companies reduce production costs and improve competitiveness.
Organizations adopt the JIT approach to increase efficiency, reduce costs and speed up product delivery.
Advantages and disadvantages of just-in-time production –
Just-in-time (JIT) production, sometimes called lean manufacturing or lean production, turns traditional manufacturing thinking on its head.
Rather than producing goods and supplying customers from stock, JIT processes focus on producing exactly the amount you need at exactly the time your customers need it.
(JIT) is a lean manufacturing logistics strategy in which materials are kept off-site and delivered to the manufacturer precisely when they are needed (as determined by demand signals or a pre-determined schedule).
JIT manufacturing aims to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and speed up product delivery.
It’s ideal for companies with frequent inventory turnover and a high volume of orders.
This strategy is effective for industries such as consumer goods, electronics, and automotive, which have high demand for their products and need to respond quickly to market trends.
Just in Time was created in Japan in the early 1970s. This process has been prevalent in Japanese manufacturing organizations since then. Taiichi Ohno, “father of the Toyota Production System,” first created the model within the Toyota manufacturing facilities to meet customer requests with the fewest possible delays.
Ohno observed that traditional mass-production methods resulted in large amounts of waste, including excess inventory, overproduction, and defects. He believed that by eliminating these types of waste, companies could significantly improve their efficiency and profitability.
He developed the pull system and kaizen techniques to implement the lean manufacturing concept. The methods involved customer demand-driven production and the involvement of employees in identifying and solving problems. Just In Time manufacturing gained popularity in Japan in the 1970s and 1980s, and it is a widely used strategy in various industries.
JIT manufacturing is based on the Five Zeros:
Zero Stock: Products must arrive at the right moment of utilization at every step of the production process
Zero Delay: Each step in the process should take the least amount of time possible
Zero Failure
Zero Defect
Zero Paper
Some benefits of JIT manufacturing include:
More cost-efficient production
Continuous quality improvement
Waste elimination
Improved productivity
Improved supplier relationships
Improved storage space used
Reduced costs associated with storage
Reduced manufacturing time
Some elements of JIT include:
Continuous improvement
Eliminating waste
Good housekeeping
Set-up time reduction
Levelled / mixed production
Kanbans
Jidoka (Autonomation)
Andon (trouble lights)
One challenge of JIT inventory management is its vulnerability to supply chain disruptions. With minimal buffer stock, any unforeseen event such as natural disasters, transportation delays, or supplier issues can quickly lead to production stoppages and customer dissatisfaction.
Toyota Motor Corporation is one of the most well-known examples of companies using the JIT method. When a client places an order, Toyota only receives raw materials in the factory when it is ready to start building the automobile.
`Just-in-time’ is a management philosophy and not a technique.
It originally referred to the production of goods to meet customer demand exactly, in time, quality and quantity, whether the `customer’ is the final purchaser of the product or another process further along the production line.
It has now come to mean producing with minimum waste. “Waste” is taken in its most general sense and includes time and resources as well as materials. Elements of JIT include:
Continuous improvement.
Attacking fundamental problems – anything that does not add value to the product.
Devising systems to identify problems.
Striving for simplicity – simpler systems may be easier to understand, easier to manage and less likely to go wrong.
A product oriented layout – produces less time spent moving of materials and parts.
Quality control at source – each worker is responsible for the quality of their own output.
Poka-yoke – foolproof' tools, methods, jigs etc. prevent mistakes Preventative maintenance, Total productive maintenance - ensuring machinery and equipment functions perfectly when it is required, and continually improving it. Eliminating waste. There are seven types of waste: waste from overproduction. waste of waiting time. transportation waste. processing waste. inventory waste. waste of motion. waste from product defects. Good housekeeping - workplace cleanliness and organisation. Set-up time reduction - increases flexibility and allows smaller batches. Ideal batch size is 1item. Multi-process handling - a multi-skilled workforce has greater productivity, flexibility and job satisfaction. Levelled / mixed production - to smooth the flow of products through the factory. Kanbans - simple tools topull’ products and components through the process.
Jidoka (Autonomation) – providing machines with the autonomous capability to use judgement, so workers can do more useful things than standing watching them work.
Andon (trouble lights) – to signal problems to initiate corrective action.
One of the main differences between JIT manufacturing and traditional manufacturing involves production and storage processes. In JIT manufacturing, production occurs only on customers’ orders, which helps to reduce waste and increase efficiency. In conventional manufacturing, goods are produced in advance and stored in inventory.
JIT manufacturing is more flexible and responsive to demand changes, while traditional methods are more rigid and harder to adjust. This flexibility enables JIT manufacturing to analyze its production processes to improve product quality frequently. However, JIT manufacturing requires a high level of coordination and communication between suppliers, manufacturers, and customers.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
One of the critical principles of JIT manufacturing is continuous improvement. It involves continuously looking for ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply chain. By constantly seeking ways to improve, JIT manufacturing helps companies stay competitive and respond quickly to changes in the market.
The improvement includes identifying and eliminating waste, streamlining processes, and implementing new technologies. Delivery of personalized materials and components by suppliers also helps improve the process.
BENEFITS OF JUST IN TIME MANUFACTURING
Just-in-Time manufacturing helps reduce a firm’s operational costs. This reduction is achieved by lowering inventory costs, improving efficiency, and reducing waste. Improving supplier relationships and reducing lead times can also lead to cost savings in the long run.
Just in Time production is a manufacturing strategy designed to increase efficiency and reduce waste by producing goods only as needed. Increased efficiency helps companies to match supply with demand, improving their production processes. Just in Time production also reduces lead times, increasing customer satisfaction.
Flexibility in manufacturing increases when using the JIT strategy. Because JIT production focuses on producing what is needed when it is needed, companies can adapt more quickly to changes in customer demand or market conditions. Just in Time also allows manufacturers to adjust production levels, which helps to reduce the risk of overproduction and excess inventory.
The quality of a product and service significantly improves in manufacturing firms using the JIT philosophy. Just in Time focuses on frequent monitoring and continuous improvement throughout the production process. It also allows for regular inspections, helping identify and correct quality issues early in the production process.
Just in Time production also leads to better supplier relationship management. Suppliers and manufacturers must work together to ensure that materials and components deliveries are on time, based on the production schedule. This close collaboration helps build trust and mutual understanding between manufacturers and suppliers, leading to more effective communication and problem-solving.