Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 5th Edition

ELEMENTS OF JIT

Now that you understand the core beliefs that define the philosophy of JIT, let's look at the major elements that make up a JIT system. Three basic elements work together to complete a JIT system: just-in-time manufacturing, total quality management, and respect for people. These are shown in Figure 7-1 as overlapping circles. Often, it is assumed that JIT refers only to just-in-time manufacturing. However, this is only one element of JIT. Each of the three elements is dependent on the others to create a true JIT system.

JIT system

The three elements are just-in-time manufacturing, total quality management, and respect for people.

Just-in-Time Manufacturing

JIT is a philosophy based on elimination of waste. Another way to view JIT is to think of it as a philosophy of value-added manufacturing. By focusing on value-added processes, JIT is able to achieve high-volume production of high-quality, low-cost products while meeting precise customer needs. Just-in-time manufacturing is the element of JIT that focuses directly on the production system to make this possible. Many aspects of JIT manufacturing combine to provide a performance advantage. Later in the chapter we will look at some aspects of JIT manufacturing in more detail. First, let's take an overall view.

Just-in-time ...