Just-in-time Implementation Research Articles

A Case Study of Just-In-Time System in Service Industry

Waiting in lines are experienced in our daily schedule. Waiting lines or queues cause inconvenience to customers. Just-In-Time (JIT), the dignified process of waste reduction and has been a very popular operational strategy because of its success in the manufacturing and production industry over many years. Various benefits like, improved operational efficiency, waste reduction, and faster response have been widely observed by previous researchers. Services are much like manufacturing. Therefore, successful implementation of JIT is vital to manufacturing as well as service industries. JIT focuses on the process, not on product. Therefore it can be applied to every process within manufacturing or service industry. The main objective of this research is to make use of a case study to present various issues regarding implementation of JIT for a service industry. This case study also shows the benefits of reduction in waiting period by employing JIT. The conclusion of this research indicates that JIT system is successful and operating JIT system leads to many advantages to the case industry.

A state of art review on optimization techniques in just in time

Article history: Received June 10, 2013 Received in revised format 25 August 2013 Accepted October 23 2013 Available online October 24 2013 With the development of faster means of communication, better quality computers and rapid transportation systems, manufacturing is no longer restricted at local level, but has become global in character. As a manufacturing company has to become competitive for its survival, it has to supply products of consistent high quality at reliable and reduced delivery time. Market also demands more product variants that means reduced lot size and high flexibility in operations. Manpower cost has also risen. All these factors tend to increase the product cost. However, the industry has to maintain the cost at a reasonable level. Confronting these challenges, companies world­wide are forced to find ways to reduce costs, improve quality, and meet the ever­changing needs of their customers. One successful solution has been the adoption of Just­in­time (JIT) manufacturing strategy in which many functional areas of a company such as manufacturing, engineering, marketing, purchasing etc. are involved. In this paper, literature review on research works based on JIT was carried out and presented. The introductory section deals with the philosophy of JIT, and the concept involved in Kanban optimization and later this paper reviews literature on optimization Technique in JIT implementation. © 2014 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection of performance measure in JIT through fuzzy logic-based simulation

The present study is a new approach for finding the most significant performance measure in JIT with the help of fuzzy logic rule base system. Fuzzy logic is a decision making tool which depends upon various factors like percentage JIT implementation in the organisation and gain in performance measure due to implementation of JIT. The success of any industry depends on quality product with optimum utilisation of men material and machinery and to achieve the above said factors the just-in-time (JIT) practice should be efficient and effective. Fuzzy base manufacturing system (FBMS) has been used for the present study because of the fact that fuzzy logic tool is best suited for dynamic environment where decisions are required to be taken on the basis of multi variable parameters. The main focus of this study is the modelling of a 'fuzzy-based simulation' for finding the significance of performance measure of JIT considering percentage of JIT implementation and percentage gain in performance measure due to implementation of JIT as parameters.

Barriers for successful implementation of JIT: a manufacturer perspective

Many manufacturing firms adopted just-in-time (JIT) concepts for more than three decades to enhance competitive strength through cost reduction, on time-in full delivery, lead time reduction etc. Extension of JIT production philosophy to purchase and distribution (or with a broader scope throughout the supply chain) is essential to achieve these objectives. The survival of many firms depends on the effectiveness of the inventory management. JIT faces many problems like lack of involvement of employees and workers resistance for continuous improvement, cultural difference, high inventories, long lead time, market volatility, forecasting errors etc. Some critical implementation issues are to be identified and resolved to encourage firms to adopt JIT. The objective of this paper is to explore and discuss the barriers for successful JIT implementation. Twenty two barriers have been identified after reviewing relevant literature. This can be a guide for taking suitable action to deal with barriers in the successful JIT implementation.

Critical elements in implementations of just-in-time management: empirical study of cement industry in Pakistan

In recent years, inventory management is continuous challenge for all organizations not only due to heavy cost associated with inventory holding, but also it has a great deal to do with the organizations production process. Cement industry is a growing sector of Pakistan’s economy which is now facing problems in capacity utilization of their plants. This study attempts to identify the key strategies for successful implementation of just-in-time (JIT) management philosophy on the cement industry of Pakistan. The study uses survey responses from four hundred operations’ managers of cement industry in order to know about the advantages and benefits that cement industry have experienced by Just in time (JIT) adoption. The results show that implementing the quality, product design, inventory management, supply chain and production plans embodied through the JIT philosophy which infect enhances cement industry competitiveness in Pakistan. JIT implementation increases performance by lower level of inventory, reduced operations & inventory costs was reduced eliminates wastage from the processes and reduced unnecessary production which is a big challenge for the manufacturer who are trying to maintain the continuous flow processes. JIT implementation is a vital manufacturing strategy that reaches capacity utilization and minimizes the rate of defect in continuous flow processes. The study emphasize the need for top management commitment in order to incorporate the necessary changes that need to take place in cement industry so that JIT implementation can take place in an effective manner.

The impact of organization ownership structure on JIT implementation and production operations performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically explore the relationships among organization ownership structure, implementation of just‐in‐time (JIT), and production operations performance.Design/methodology/approachA theory model for explaining the relationships among ownership, manufacturing strategy and performance was constructed, and then several hypotheses were tested using statistical analysis models based on questionnaire responses from Chinese manufacturing firms.FindingsThe results show that organization ownership not only impacts the implementation of JIT and operations performance, but also impacts the relationship between JIT implementation and operations performance. Moreover, the results show that, for firms operated in China, the implementation frequency of JIT practices varies with organization ownerships; the foreign and joint venture firms (JVFs) were found to have a higher level of JIT implementation and can also achieve better performance from JIT implementation than state‐owned and private‐owned firms (POF). Also, JIT implementation was found to have a significantly positive relationship with operations performance in all types of ownership firms, with the exception of private ownership firms.Research limitations/implicationsThe research only covers manufacturing firms in China. Further research is needed to test the wide implications of this research in other countries or industries.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insights into how to improve JIT implementation performances, especially in various organization ownership structures.Originality/valueThe paper appears to be one of the first studies of relationship between ownership structure and JIT implementation in China manufacturing environment.

Strategies and success factors for overcoming challenges in JIT implementation in Indian manufacturing industry

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the doubts before Indian manufacturing organisations for adapting to Just-in-Time (JIT) initiatives. The aim of this research is to significantly examine the factors affecting the implementation of JIT practices in the Indian manufacturing industry. The strong points of JIT implementation initiatives affecting organisational performance measures are highlighted in the study. The focus of study is the identification of hindrances in JIT implementation and to work out success factors required for improving manufacturing performance in Indian industry through JIT initiatives. The study highlights the obstacles faced by Indian manufacturing organisations while implementing JIT initiatives. The study reveals that implementing JIT is by no ways an easy task, it is heavily burdened by organisational, fi nancial, cultural, behavioural, operational, technological and departmental barriers. The study formulates the critical success factors for overcoming obstacles to successful JIT implementation in order to improve organisational competencies with regard to its preparedness to face global competition.

JIT production, JIT supply and performance: investigating the moderating effects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study whether just in time (JIT) supply practices interact with JIT production practices by positively moderating the relationship between JIT production and efficiency/delivery performance.Design/methodology/approachIn total, six hypotheses are developed on the relationships between JIT production, JIT supply, efficiency and delivery performance. The hypotheses are tested through a hierarchical regression analysis using data from a sample of 207 manufacturing plants.FindingsJIT production practices positively affect both efficiency and delivery. JIT supply practices positively moderate the relationship between JIT production and delivery, while there is no significant moderating effect when considering the impact on efficiency. The role of JIT supply as moderator is twofold. On the one hand, it strengthens the positive impact of JIT production on delivery through a complementary effect. On the other hand, low levels of adoption of JIT supply practices can hinder and – for extremely low levels – cancel the impact of JIT production practices on delivery.Practical implicationsWhen efficiency is the priority, companies should direct their efforts on JIT production. However, when their aim is to maximize delivery, they should invest on both JIT production and JIT supply. Results found advise managers to implement some JIT supply practices during the early stages of JIT production programs, because the total absence of any JIT linkages with suppliers can limit JIT production benefits on delivery performance.Originality/valueThis study elaborates on the mutual influence between JIT production and JIT supply practices and demonstrates that they have a different weight and contribute to different aspects of performance improvement. This can help managers involved in JIT implementation to better allocate scarce resources.

Just-in-time manufacturing: literature review and directions

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on just-in-time (JIT) and to present a general survey of JIT implementation practices adopted by the manufacturing organisations. The published literature has been deeply analysed and arranged systematically in this paper. This paper examines the evolution of JIT and its implementation in the organisations. Various strategies, elements and important issues of JIT are discussed in detail. This paper also highlights the contribution of JIT towards improving competencies of the organisations. After going through a large number of papers written on the subject, the JIT implementation practices employed by manufacturing organisations all over the world have been extensively reviewed and analysed in this paper. The approaches suggested by various researchers and practitioners have been discussed and the reasons behind failure of JIT programmes in the organisations have been critically evaluated. This paper also discusses the success factors and facilitators of JIT implementation in an organisation. This paper contains a comprehensive listing of publications in the field of JIT implementation and various articles have been classified in accordance with the attributes of JIT.

The perceived impact of JIT implementation on operations performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceived impact of just‐in‐time (JIT) implementation on operations performance, identify the relationship between elements of JIT (integrated and individual) and performance metrics, and based on the results, present some helpful suggests for improving JIT implementation in manufacturing industry.Design/methodology/approachFramework and hypotheses based on literature review were first constructed, then a questionnaire was developed to collect data from mainland China; in total, 224 information responses were obtained, then statistical analysis was carried out to test the hypotheses. Based on the data analysis results, conclusion and managerial insight were summarized.FindingsResults show that, no matter what kind of industry or scale of sale of the firm, implementation of an aggregate bundle of JIT elements can improve production operations performance. However, for individual elements of JIT, their impacts are different; some basic elements of JIT like 5S, multiple‐skill employee and JIT purchasing can play a more remarkable role than other elements.Practical implicationsThe conclusions of this paper can benefit firms in improving implementation of JIT in practice, especially for those firms in developing countries.Originality/valueAlthough a number of studies on JIT implementation have been reported in developed countries, little attention has been paid to the status of Chinese firms; this paper has value for examining the practice of JIT in China and reference value for other developing countries’ firms.

Spatial patterns of adoption of just‐in‐time manufacturing

AbstractWe study the spatial pattern of just‐in‐time (JIT) adoption for a sample of medium‐sized and large Spanish manufacturing firms. JIT differs from other advanced manufacturing technologies because it relates directly to the spatial co‐ordination of firms' internal production organisation with the external productive environment and depends on the quality of the transport system. Our results confirm the distinctive role of location for JIT adoption even after controlling for industry and plant‐specific differences. We find that JIT adoption is greater in smaller cities but with higher transport accessibility indicating that urban congestion in larger urban areas likely reduces the benefits that firms may obtain from JIT implementation.

Penerapan Just in Time dalam Sistem Pembelian dan Sistem Produksi

Just in Time is a management philosophy, techniques, or methods be comprehensive in order to buy raw materials and producing goods only when necessary and timely to be used at every stage we have available. Research was conducted by doing library research. Many problems faced by the industry, especially the existence of inefficiency in the system of purchasing and production. With the implementation of Just in Time, then the problem can be overcome and eventually going savings that will increase corporate profits.

A radio frequency identification based optimal material delivery method for digital plant production

Currently, Just-in-Time (JIT) is becoming one of the increasingly important manufacturing modes applied by enterprises for surviving in drastic market competition. As a key function of JIT manufacturing, the material delivery characterised by real time, accuracy and optimisation can make sure of JIT's implementation in enterprises effectively and efficiently. In the study, we present a new kind of real-time optimal material delivery method for plant production by utilising radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. In the method, the precise and visual layouts for the whole physical plant and all kinds of its inner manufacturing resources such as machines, RFID devices, forklifts and inventories are realised. Later, the mathematical model for dynamically obtaining the optimal routes for forklifts is established by taking the minimal travel distance as the objective. Particularly, to solve the problem, a real-time optimum route planning method based on the ant colony optimisation (ACO) algorithm is developed. In order to monitor and navigate the forklifts in real time during material distribution in the plant for material delivery planners and operators, a position locating scheme for forklifts and materials is proposed. Finally, a case study is carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the presented method, which establishes the base for implementing JIT manufacturing in plant production.

Do Modern Japanese Inventory Methods Apply To Hong Kong?

The ability to achieve higher standards of productivity without sacrificing quality is an important goal of a manufacturing firm. A primary reason offered to explain Japanese firms successes has been the dominant role of the use of the Just-In-Time (JIT) operational philosophy (Mehra & Inman, 1992). If successfully implemented, JIT reduces inventory and ultimately results in reduction in manufacturing costs along with improvement in profitability (James, 1994). There are three main manufacturing objectives for JIT (Suzaki, 1987). One is increasing the organization's ability to compete with rival firms and remain competitive over the long run. JIT allows companies to develop optimal processes for manufacturing their products. A second is increasing the degree of efficiency within the production process. JIT allows greater level of productivity and minimizes the associated costs of production. The third is reducing the level of wasted materials, time, and effort involved in the production process. Elimination of unnecessary waste can significantly reduce costs of production. Much of the literature concerned with the implementation of JIT deals specifically with elements that are crucial to successful implementation (Karen & Anthony, 1993). This study looked at three of those elements; namely, management commitment, JIT production strategy, and JIT vendor strategy. If these "critical" elements are not present, the potential level of JIT implementation may be low. The Hong Kong electronics/electrical manufacturing industry was chosen as the context for this study. A survey questionnaire based on the three main prerequisites of JIT implementation was developed and sent out in order to investigate whether JIT implementation could be carried out in Hong Kong. Both inferential analysis and descriptive analysis were used to interpret the results. The study found (1) No significant relationship existed between management commitment and the potential level of JIT implementation, and (2) A significant relationship did exist between JIT production strategy and JIT vendor strategy and the potential level of JIT implementation.

Supplier selection and performance evaluation in just-in-time production environments

The purpose of this paper is to aid just-in-time (JIT) manufacturers in selecting the most appropriate suppliers and in evaluating supplier performance. Many manufacturers employ the JIT philosophy in order to be more competitive in today’s global market. The success of JIT on the production floor has led many firms to expand the JIT philosophy to the entire supply chain. The procurement of parts and materials is a very important issue in the successful and effective implementation of JIT; thus, supplier selection and performance evaluation in long-term relationships have became more critical in JIT production environments. The proposed systems can assist manufacturers in handling these issues. In this research, neural network based supplier selection and supplier performance evaluation systems are presented. The proposed approach is not limited to JIT supply. It can assist manufacturers in selecting the most appropriate suppliers and in evaluating supplier performance. The proposed neural network based systems are tested with data taken from an automotive factory, and the results show that the proposed systems can be used effectively.

Multi-vendor integrated procurement-production system under shared transportation and just-in-time delivery system

Just-in-time (JIT) procurement is one of the important elements of lean production system. Successful implementation of JIT needs vendor-manufacturer cooperation on small lot size delivery and inbound logistics cost reduction. Unlike the most recent literature focusing on single-vendor and single-buyer integrated inventory systems, this paper studies a multi-vendor integrated procurement-production inventory system that incorporates delivery and shared transportation costs. A multi-vendor optimal model is developed here for deciding the batch size of vendor's production, and delivery frequencies of different vendors to the manufacturer. Solution procedures for two special cases—uncapacitated and capacitated models are developed; especially, a new approximate method for capacitated model is devised. Numerical examples demonstrate the solution mechanism for the model. The results highlight cooperation between vendors and manufacturers on JIT procurement practices.

The development of a conceptual framework for Just-In-Time implementation in SMEs

Just-In-Time (JIT) has shown much promise in many industries but particularly in large organisations. This article analyses which aspects of the JIT philosophy are also applicable to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on a literature review and with a particular focus on four data sources, challenges to JIT implementation in SMEs are analysed. A conceptual framework and a set of hypotheses are developed which describe the barriers to, and enablers of, JIT implementation in SMEs. Barriers include: a lack of supplier cooperation and partnerships; an inability to develop the necessary technologies and methodologies to reduce or eliminate waste; difficulties in managing demand fluctuations; a lack of capital to acquire advanced technologies; quality control problems; and, inadequate employee training and development. Enablers include the ability to: empower employees; reduce JIT implementation time; overcome employee resistance to change; and, receive various forms of governmental support. The hypotheses could form the basis of a set of measures that allow SMEs to decide whether JIT is right for them.

Supply chain design in the electronics industry incorporating JIT purchasing

The overriding objective of the present work is to design and analyse the supply chain of a section of an existing electronics industry which is involved in the manufacturing of instruments to be used in communication and is presently unable to compete in the open market. The suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and customers have been integrated with each other using Just-in-Time (JIT) purchasing. The models have been developed both at the strategic, as well as operational, levels for minimising the cost. The operational level models have been integrated with the strategic level model to achieve overall optimisation, instead of individual echelon optimisation. Keeping in view the large number of variables, constraints and related industrial data, the model has been solved using 'Industrial LINGO 8.0' software. The model solution gives the optimum values of the various cost components and per product cost for the customers. The dominant costs have been targeted for reduction using JIT purchasing in the raw material procurement process. Finally, it is observed that the implementation of JIT purchasing considerably reduces per product costs. [Submitted 22 July 2007; Revised 17 December 2007; Accepted 08 February 2008]

The Role of Just-In-Time Implementation in Relation to Performance: An Exploratory Study

This study investigates the relationship between the level of just-in-time (JIT) purchasing and manufacturing implementation and performance. The study employed a self-administered questionnaire survey to collect data from Malaysian manufacturing companies. The statistical tests provide empirical evidence that the level of JIT implementation is related to perceived performance. The findings reveal that the level of JIT adoption is positively related to both financial and non financial performance. In addition, the t-test results indicate that there are significant differences in the level of performance among the JIT firms and the non-JIT firms.

The role of organizational context and infrastructure practices in JIT implementation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze which factors determine the use of just‐in‐time (JIT) in companies. More precisely, the paper aims to study the role played by two variables of organizational context (size and age) and three infrastructure practices (advanced manufacturing technologies – AMT, quality management, and work organization).Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses were tested using data collected from 203 manufacturing plants with at least 20 employees. Data were collected by means of personal interviews with plant managers. Regression analyses have been performed to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results reveal the existence of diversity in the factors that affect the use of the different components of JIT. Infrastructure practices are shown to be more determining than contextual factors. This happens in particular with AMT, basic quality tools and the management of the relationships with suppliers and customers.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitations of the research are those derived from the cross‐sectional character of the data and from information coming from surveys, especially when the measures are subjective.Practical implicationsThe paper stresses the need to develop adequate infrastructures in technology management, quality management and work organization to obtain all the benefits of JIT implementation.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the role of organizational context and, especially, infrastructure practices in the incidence of JIT in the manufacturing industry. Moreover, the identification of different dimensions of JIT systems makes it possible to conclude that the influence of the different factors considered is not uniform across all JIT elements.